Man posing as Amazon driver showed up on doorstep of woman he met 'gaming' online with handcuffs and knives, stabbed her boyfriend when he opened up and strangled her

A California woman and her boyfriend were targeted in a stabbing attack by a man she met "gaming" online, who showed up on her doorstep with a box containing duct tape, handcuffs and knives while posing as an Amazon driver.

Devin Wolfgang Vanderhoef, 25, of Canada, was sentenced last Thursday to two consecutive life sentences for the 2024 attack. Police said he "developed a year's long obsession" with the female victim that led him to fly from his home in North Vancouver, British Columbia, to the woman's home in Salinas, according to a Monterey County Sheriff's Office press release. The two apparently met "through online video gaming," officials said.

Vanderhoef, who was accompanied by a friend, went to the victim's home in November 2024 with a "package," the release said. He "knocked on the door" and "identified himself as a delivery driver" for Amazon while holding the package.

"Our victim's boyfriend opened the door and Vanderhoef forced his way in and began stabbing the boyfriend with a knife resulting in multiple critical injuries," the Monterey County Sheriff's Office said. "The female grabbed a sharp metal object and began defending her boyfriend."

While fighting back, the woman was strangled and stabbed by Vanderhoef, leading to moderate injuries. Vanderhoef also sustained multiple critical stab wounds during the struggle.

Authorities were called and all three individuals were transported to a local hospital. Vanderhoef's friend, Darius Whyte, 25, was found near the scene and claimed he had no knowledge of what was going on.

"The investigation determined that Whyte was an accomplice of Vanderhoef during this incident and that he had knowledge of what Vanderhoef's intentions were," the sheriff's office said. "Whyte was arrested the morning of Monday, November 26th, as he sat on a flight at San Jose Mineta International Airport preparing to return to Canada."

Prosecutors said in a 2026 press release that Vanderhoef "confessed that he had been planning the attack for a month before flying to California." He said his plan was to "actually kill someone."

Both Vanderhoef and Whyte were convicted of crimes related to the attack in February. Vanderhoef was found guilty by a jury of two counts of willful, deliberate and premeditated attempted murder and one count of residential burglary. Whyte pleaded guilty to assault by means of force likely to cause great bodily injury and being an accessory after the fact to a felony.

Whyte, who was sentenced in April, testified against Vanderhoef during his trial.

"The jury also found true that Vanderhoef personally inflicted great bodily injury and personally used a weapon during the commission of the crimes," the Monterey County District Attorney's Office said.

"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 to the Los Angeles Times.