Two men from Canada are accused of flying to the US to stalk and attack a woman one of them met in an online gaming platform, police say.
Devin Wolfgang Vandorhoef, 25, of British Columbia, and Darius Avery Whyte, a 25-year-old from Ontario, allegedly flew from Canada to Salinas, California, to stalk the woman last month.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office told KSBW Action News that Vandorhoef met the unidentified woman online and allegedly became obsessed with her over the next year.
On November 25, Vandorhoef went to the girl’s home while posing as a delivery driver with a package containing handcuffs, duct tape and knives, police said, adding they’re unsure how the man intended to use the items.
A few moments later, the woman’s boyfriend opened the door.
That’s when police say Vandorhoef forced his way into the home and “began stabbing the boyfriend with a knife, resulting in multiple critical injuries,” according to the outlet.
The woman grabbed a “sharp metal object and began defending her boyfriend” and was “strangled and stabbed” in the attack, police said. The attacker also received “multiple critical stab wounds”. All three of the people in the home had stab wounds, suffering from minor to critical injuries.
Several neighbors in the area called police and the three individuals were taken to a hospital. They’re all expected to survive the incident.
Vandorhoef and Whyte have been arrested on charges of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit attempted murder.
Whyte was initially accused of being Vandorhoef’s co-conspirator and was arrested near the crime scene. He told police he was not aware of what had transpired and was released from custody.
Police took him into custody a second time at San Mineta International Airport as he prepared to fly back to Canada.
Vandorhoef’s bail is set at $4.15m, while Whyte’s bail is $1m. Both of the men appeared in court on Monday for their arraignments. The next court date in the case is December 10.
