Man's 'Years-Long Obsession' with Woman He Met Gaming Led to Brutal Stabbing: Sheriff

Devin Wolfgang Vandorhoef (above left) and Darius Avery Whyte (above right), both 25, have been charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit attempted murder following an incident on November 25, 2024 in Salinas.

The two reportedly entered not guilty pleas in court this week, per KSBW, with the outlet also reporting they've been charged with felony burglary. Jail records, meanwhile, also show Vandorhoef is facing charges of mayhem and stalking.

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office laid out the allegations against the two men in a press release, revealing deputies responded to a 9-1-1 calls regarding a stabbing ... and found three subjects, later identified as Vandorhoef and the two victims, who all had stabbing injuries.

Per detectives, Vandorhoef and the woman at the residence "had previously met and gotten to know each other via a gaming platform." Authorities also claim Vandorhoef "developed a year's long obsession with the victim which led to him flying to California from Canada where [she] resides"; he was joined on his trip by Whyte, added the sheriff.

Authorities say Vandorhoef knocked on the victim's door holding a package, pretending to be a deliveryman. Inside the package, according to detectives, were handcuffs, duct tape and knives -- though the sheriff said "it is unknown how these items were intended on being used."

It was the victim's boyfriend who answered the door, with the sheriff saying Vandorhoef then "forced his way in and began stabbing" the man with a knife, causing "multiple critical injuries." The woman, meanwhile, began "defending her boyfriend" and started stabbing Vandorhoef with "a sharp metal object," causing "multiple critical stab wounds."

In the attack, the woman was allegedly strangled and stabbed by Vandorhoef and was hospitalized with "moderate" injuries.

According to the release, Whyte initially claimed he had "no knowledge" of what happened when authorities spoke with him at the scene. However, an investigation determined Whyte was "an accomplice" and "had knowledge of what Vandorhoef's intentions were" -- before he was taken into custody while sitting on a flight set to bring him back to Canada.

Vandorhoef is being held on $4,150,000.00 bail, while Whyte's bail was set at $1,000,000.00 bail.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Berkley Brannon called the case "extraordinary" while speaking with KSBW. "Guys coming from Vancouver to Salinas to pose as an Amazon delivery person and stab somebody," he added, "it's really one of the strangest cases I've ever seen."

The female victim was reportedly present in court during an arraignment for Whyte, while her boyfriend -- as of last week -- was in critical but stable condition. Vandorhoef's arraignment was postponed until this week because he was still in the hospital recovering from his injuries; he did, however, appear in court on Monday.

They're both due back in court on December 10.