Chula Vista

Man pleads not guilty to setting 2 women on fire at 7-Eleven in Chula Vista

Prosecutors say Jose Carlos Villanueva had been planning the attack for a while. One of the victims is his ex-girlfriend, who has suffered burns over 80% of her body

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Friends and family of the victims packed the courtroom, where a man accused of setting two women on fire in Chula Vista made his first court appearance and pleaded not guilty to multiple charges. NBC 7’s Kelvin Henry spoke with the family about the heartbreaking decision they had to make following the alleged attack.

The man accused of throwing gasoline on two women and setting them on fire at a 7-Eleven in Chula Vista made his first appearance in court on Wednesday.

Jose Carlos Villanueva, 47, is charged with multiple felonies, including attempted murder, torture and arson. He pleaded not guilty.

The incident happened near Broadway and L Street around 8 a.m. on Saturday, according to the Chula Vista Police Department.

Prosecutors say Villanueva had been planning the attack for a while. One of the victims is his ex-girlfriend, Amanda Buchanan, who has suffered burns over 80% of her body.

"This was a horrific crime," San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Jared Coleman said. "This defendant essentially tracked down his girlfriend at her place of work, doused her with gasoline and ignited her on fire with a lighter. She burned, engulfed in flames, for approximately two minutes."

The family and friends of at least one of the two victims were present in court on Wednesday. Buchanan's son spoke before the arraignment about how this incident is hurting his family.

"The extent of her injuries are so severe that we got together with the surgeons and talked about her quality of life, and it's not going to be the same, so we decided to go ahead and pull the plug on her. That way she's not suffering," Dominic Rivera said.

The vigil was held in hopes of healing the two women who were nearly killed in a fire at a 7-Eleven in Chula Vista. NBC 7's Kelvin Henry spoke to one of the victim's son about her fight for life.

Buchanan's coworker also sustained injuries in the attack.

Villanueva remains in custody, and his next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 6.

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