Judge puts Spokane woman accused of death threats against Minneapolis FBI agent and his family into home detention before next court date

The 18-year-old Spokane resident accused of threatening to kill a Minneapolis FBI agent was remanded to home detention on Wednesday, but not without deep concern from the presiding judge.

“The nature of the alleged offenses could easily be committed again,” said U.S. Magistrate Judge James Goeke. “I don’t think she understands the gravity of what she is alleged to have done.”

The FBI arrested Brenna Doyle on Sunday on suspicion of threatening to kill a Minnesota FBI special agent, his spouse and his child. Each of the federal crimes with which she is charged range from a sentence of one to 10 years in prison.

Doyle’s federal public defender declined comment when reached outside of court Wednesday.

When 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed in her SUV by an immigration agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, the incident spurred outrage and protests across Minnesota and the nation. The local FBI bureau was called to the scene to investigate the shooting, according to court records.

While investigating, the government said protesters nearby became unruly and the scene felt tense and “unsafe,” prompting FBI agents to flee and leave two government vehicles behind.

People then broke into the vehicles and took tactical gear, documents, access badges and government IDs, according to court records.

Some of the agents’ names and addresses were later leaked on social media.

Some 10 to 15 FBI agents who had items stolen from the cars said they received multiple calls harassing and threatening them, according to court records. One agent reported someone called him claiming they would kill his daughter, so he had to notify her school.

The government alleges that a week after Good’s death, a woman later identified as Doyle called the agent’s work cellphone around 5:30 a.m. Pacific time and left him three voicemails in the span of five minutes.

One voicemail claimed the agent ruined her life, that he was “going to (expletive) die” and he is “dead, do you hear me?” Another voicemail called him stupid, pathetic and a wife-beater. The last voicemail called him a “fat, white-haired (expletive)” who ruined her family.

“You and your wife and your dead (expletive) daughter are dead,” the voicemail said, adding she would “kill you myself.”

Investigators were able to trace the phone number to Doyle’s public accounts attached to CashApp and Snapchat, according to court records. She was not in Minnesota at the time and has not resided there.

The government initially filed for Doyle to remain in custody after her arrest and transported to Minnesota, but later withdrew that motion after pretrial release services recommended her release with conditions. The attorneys in Minnesota agree with that recommendation, prosecutors said in court Wednesday.

Doyle was arrested last year on suspicion of assault, resisting arrest and obstructing law enforcement, according to court records. She also has a prior conviction for attempting to elude a police vehicle, a crime that Goeke said she has not faced the consequences for committing.

Goeke suggested in court that Doyle’s previous history with the law gives him little confidence she would be able to understand the consequences of her actions. He continued to reiterate that the charges are “exceptionally serious” and that if the government hadn’t withdrawn its motion for detention, he would send her back to jail.

Doyle is restricted to staying inside her home with certain exceptions and will be GPS monitored. She is also not allowed to use the internet other than to pay rent, among other restrictions, and must submit to a mental health evaluation.

Her next court appearance is Feb. 9 in Minnesota federal court.