In a court hearing on Tuesday, Dr. Douglas Ousterhout, 79, a surgeon specializing in facial feminization surgeries for transgender women, recalled his disagreement with former patient Tyqwon Eugene Welch, 26, who stands accused of attempting to set fire to the surgeon's house still famed for its appearance in the 1993 Robin Williams film Mrs. Doubtfire.

Following the actor and comedian's death last year, mourners bedecked the house's front steps with flowers and candles. According to courtroom reporting from The Bay Area Reporter, on the night of the arson attempt, Ousterhout says he suspected more candles might have been lit near the door when he saw it glowing. Instead he found his doormat and door ablaze. Earlier in the day, he'd caught Welch rifling through his mail before she forced her way into the home, demanding a checkbook it's unclear if she received.Felony charges against Welch are attempted murder, two counts of burning an inhabited dwelling, possession of an incendiary device, criminal threats, and residential burglary.

In the Tuesday hearing Dr. Ousterhout said Welch had paid him about $45,000 for an operation but had later demanded a refund. Before the night of the attempted arson, the doctor hadn't seen his patient since October. At that time, she'd come to the office of Dr. Jordan Deschamps-Braly, to whom Ousterhout had sold his practice. Welch was there to discuss revisions to the operation with both Deschamps-Braly and Ousterhout, making a new December surgery date with Deschamps-Braly after a bit of a tiff over the surgery's cost.

But the next month, as Deschamps-Braly testified, Welch hadn't signed a treatment agreement and he sent her a letter to cancel the surgery. Following the October meeting, Welch made numerous calls to the office asking for her money back. And after the surgery's cancellation, in a January 5 phone call to Deschamps-Braly's office, Welch told officer manager Joni Miyagi that — regarding Ousterhout — "I'm going to kill him and his kids."

Following this week's hearing, Deputy Public Defender Elizabeth Hilton called evidence against her client "circumstantial." It had taken Welch "four whole years to save up the money" for her surgery, said HIlton, a procedure that only lent her "a crooked hairline, scars, and a dent in her chin."

The preliminary hearing is set to continue March 12. When completed, a judge will make a ruling to decide whether there's enough evidence for Welch to be held for trial.

Previously: Suspect In 'Mrs. Doubtfire House' Arson Pleads Not Guilty
Arsonist Strikes 'Mrs. Doubtfire' House