A Canadian man is convicted of attempted murder in a plot to kill a Monterey County woman he met through online gaming.

A Monterey County Superior Court jury convicted a Canadian man of attempted murder on Monday, Feb. 9, after he traveled to Monterey County with an accomplice in 2024 with the intention of killing a woman he had met through online gaming. 

Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced in a press release that the 26-year-old British Columbia resident, Devin Wolfgang Vanderhoef, was convicted by a jury of two counts of willful, deliberate and premeditated attempted murder and one count of residential burglary. The jury also found that the man inflicted great bodily injury and personally used a weapon during the commission of the crimes.

In late November 2024, Vanderhoef, along with his friend and accomplice Darius Whyte, flew from Canada to Monterey. Upon arrival, Vanderhoef purchased knives, handcuffs and duct tape and began watching the home and workplace of a Monterey County woman, whom he met while playing the game Fortnite, years prior.

According to the statement, Vanderhoef confessed that he had been planning the attack for a month before traveling to Monterey and confessed that his plan was to “actually kill someone.” 

After stalking the woman’s residence, Vanderhoef arrived there later in the evening posing as an Amazon delivery driver with a package. The woman’s boyfriend answered the door and was suspicious of Vanderhoef’s claim to be a delivery driver. Vanderhoef then forced his way into the home and began stabbing the victim’s boyfriend, while the accomplice, Whyte, watched from a distance. 

Both the victims fled the residence and Vanderhoef followed them outside and continued the attack. At one point, the woman’s boyfriend disarmed Vanderhoef and stabbed the Canadian man repeatedly with scissors.

When the victims were convinced that Vanderhoef wouldn’t try to attack them again, they ran back to the house. However, the woman tripped and Vanderhoef tackled her, where he strangled her until she could not breathe. A neighbor, who had heard the incident, screamed when they saw Vanderhoef strangling the victim and he released his grip, which allowed her to flee. 

Law enforcement soon arrived and Vanderhoef was arrested. Whyte, who fled the scene, was later arrested on a plane at San Jose International Airport headed back to Canada. Whyte, who testified against Vanderhoef at the trial, pled guilty to assault by means of force likely to cause great bodily injury and being an accessory after the fact to a felony. 

Vanderhoef will be sentenced by Judge Mark E. Hood on April 7, and faces life in prison. A sentencing date for Whyte will be scheduled on Feb. 26. The case was investigated by Detective Arras Wilson of the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.