A Canadian man has been handed a life sentence for attempting to murder an American woman he encountered through online gaming, as well as her boyfriend.
Devin Wolfgang Vanderhoef has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms for the premeditated attempted murder of the couple, as announced by the Monterey County District Attorney on June 25. The 26-year-old faced additional charges, receiving an extra five years for causing significant bodily harm and using a weapon during the attack.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office reported that Vanderhoef became infatuated with the woman after meeting her through online gaming. His obsession led him to travel from Canada to her residence in California.
On November 25, 2024, Vanderhoef arrived at her doorstep under the guise of a delivery driver, carrying a package filled with knives, handcuffs, and duct tape, according to police reports.
Exploiting this deception, he forced his way into the home and attacked the woman’s boyfriend, inflicting severe injuries, the district attorney’s office stated. Both victims managed to escape the residence, but Vanderhoef pursued them outside and continued his assault.
Prosecutors said that while outside, the boyfriend was able to disarm and stab Vanderhoef, but Vanderhoef tackled the female victim as she tried to escape and “strangled her until she could not breathe.”
Monterey County Sheriff’s detectives arrived on the scene and arrested Vandorhoef on charges of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit attempted murder, holding him on more than $4 million bail.
“Vanderhoef confessed that he had been planning the attack for a month before flying to California,” the DA’s office shared, “and that his plan was to ‘actually kill someone.’”
In February, a jury convicted Vanderhoef on two counts of willful, deliberate and premeditated attempted murder and one count of residential burglary, while also finding it true that he personally inflicted great bodily injury and personally used a weapon, the district attorney announced at the time.
An attorney for Vanderhoef did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Oxygen.