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 pistillate and her fellow were targeted successful a stabbing onslaught by a antheral she met "gaming" online, who showed up connected her doorstep with a container containing duct tape, handcuffs and knives portion posing arsenic an Amazon driver.

Devin Wolfgang Vanderhoef, 25, of Canada, was sentenced past Thursday to 2 consecutive beingness sentences for the 2024 attack. Police said he "developed a year's agelong obsession" with the pistillate unfortunate that led him to alert from his location successful North Vancouver, British Columbia, to the woman's location successful Salinas, according to a Monterey County Sheriff's Office press release. The 2 seemingly met "through online video gaming," officials said.

Vanderhoef, who was accompanied by a friend, went to the victim's location successful November 2024 with a "package," the merchandise said. He "knocked connected the door" and "identified himself arsenic a transportation driver" for Amazon portion holding the package.

"Our victim's fellow opened the doorway and Vanderhoef forced his mode successful and began stabbing the fellow with a weapon resulting successful aggregate captious injuries," the Monterey County Sheriff's Office said. "The pistillate grabbed a crisp metallic entity and began defending her boyfriend."

While warring back, the pistillate was strangled and stabbed by Vanderhoef, starring to mean injuries. Vanderhoef besides sustained aggregate captious stab wounds during the struggle.

Authorities were called and each 3 individuals were transported to a section hospital. Vanderhoef's friend, Darius Whyte, 25, was recovered adjacent the country and claimed helium had nary cognition of what was going on.

"The probe determined that Whyte was an accomplice of Vanderhoef during this incidental and that helium had cognition of what Vanderhoef's intentions were," the sheriff's bureau said. "Whyte was arrested the greeting of Monday, November 26th, arsenic helium sat connected a formation astatine San Jose Mineta International Airport preparing to instrumentality to Canada."

Prosecutors said successful a 2026 press release that Vanderhoef "confessed that helium had been readying the onslaught for a period earlier flying to California." He said his program was to "actually termination someone."

Both Vanderhoef and Whyte were convicted of crimes related to the onslaught successful February. Vanderhoef was recovered blameworthy by a assemblage of 2 counts of willful, deliberate and premeditated attempted execution and 1 number of residential burglary. Whyte pleaded blameworthy to battle by means of unit apt to origin large bodily wounded and being an accessory aft the information to a felony.

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

"The assemblage besides recovered existent that Vanderhoef personally inflicted large bodily wounded and personally utilized a limb during the committee of the crimes," the Monterey County District Attorney's Office said.

"We anticipation this lawsuit serves arsenic a almighty reminder that online interactions tin transportation existent satellite consequences," Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto said successful a connection to the Los Angeles Times.