A man who developed an obsession with a woman he met through online gaming flew across the continent to attack her and her boyfriend at their California home, authorities say, in a case that ended with two consecutive life sentences last week.
Devin Wolfgang Vanderhoef, 25, of North Vancouver, British Columbia, was sentenced Thursday for the November 2024 attack at a home in Salinas. According to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, Vanderhoef had built a “year’s long obsession” with the woman after the pair connected through online video gaming.
Investigators say Vanderhoef traveled to her home carrying a package, knocked on the door, and identified himself as an Amazon delivery driver. When the woman’s boyfriend answered, Vanderhoef allegedly forced his way inside and began stabbing him, inflicting multiple critical injuries. The woman grabbed a metal object to defend her boyfriend and was strangled and stabbed during the struggle, suffering moderate injuries. Vanderhoef also sustained critical stab wounds before the fight ended.
All three were taken to a hospital. Officers later arrested Vanderhoef’s traveling companion, Darius Whyte, 25, as he sat on a return flight to Canada at San Jose Mineta International Airport. Investigators determined Whyte knew about Vanderhoef’s intentions beforehand.
Prosecutors say Vanderhoef confessed he had spent a month planning the attack before flying to California, telling investigators his goal was to kill someone.
A jury convicted Vanderhoef in February of two counts of attempted murder and one count of residential burglary, along with sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury and using a weapon. Whyte pleaded guilty to assault and acting as an accessory after the fact, and was sentenced in April after testifying against Vanderhoef at trial.
“We hope this case serves as a powerful reminder that online interactions can carry real world consequences,” Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto said in a statement.
