CHULA VISTA, Calif. — The family of the South Bay woman set on fire by her ex-boyfriend this weekend announced they will take her off of life support and say she will soon take her last breath.
Amanda Buchanan’s family saw her accused attacker in court Wednesday afternoon. Jose Villanueva faces multiple felony charges including attempted murder, torture and arson. He pleaded not guilty.
Villanueva is said to have a violent criminal history. A judge said he was out on bail for another felony offense when he committed this crime.
Dominic Rivera, Buchanan’s son, said he believes Villanueva is guilty and should be prosecuted.
“He’s going to get what he deserved. Justice will be served," Rivera said. "He knows what he did was wrong. He’s going to try to plead to insanity. There’s no way he’s going to get away with that. He knew exactly what he was doing. My mom’s biggest fear was burning alive.”
Buchanan was the long-time manager of the Chula Vista 7-Eleven where she was set on fire.
Rivera says he saw his mother’s on-and-off boyfriend Villanueva ambush her on the store’s surveillance video. He says his mother's back was turned away when Villanueva stormed in.
"He poured gasoline from what looked like a cup or something like that," he says. "They got into a scuffle. She was trying to push him off of her. Then they went into the bathroom off of the cameras view. And that’s when you see the flames ignite. Then you see my mom coming out of there and rolling around on the ground for her life.”
The Judge decided on no bail. She said it was clear Villanueva had planned the attack. Evidence showed Villanueva filling up cups with gasoline then stalking the 7-Eleven before he walked in, doused Buchanan with gasoline and set her on fire.
Rivera said when he met with his mother’s surgeons, they decided her quality of life would never be the same and he made the decision to take her off life support.
“The extent of her injuries are so severe," he says. "I know it’s not a life she would have wanted. She didn’t have enough skin to do skin graphs on her body. On her face she had bones exposed. They were talking about doing where they swap the faces. We just realized it would be too much. It’s not what she would have wanted.”
Several hours after Saturday’s attack, officers arrested Villanueva in Redlands, roughly 100 miles north of Chula Vista.
Buchanan's co-worker tried to put the flames out and she got burned trying to do so. She’s expected to recover.
As Villanueva sits behind bars, people have continued to visit the 7-Eleven to pay their respects to Buchanan.
Rivera says there's nothing that's going to replace the love he and his mother shared.
“There’s something about a son and a mother’s love," he says. "It’s different. The fact that he took that away. I don’t have words for it.”
WATCH RELATED: Police: Injured victim may have known man suspected of setting Chula Vista 7-Eleven on fire