In a bombshell twist that has left Minneapolis stunned and the nation reeling, federal forensic experts finally cracked the encrypted partition on slain ICU nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti’s iPhone last Tuesday – and what they uncovered isn’t just personal messages… it’s the blueprint for a shadowy, decades-old underground network linking three “martyred” activists now dead at the hands of federal agents.
The explosive data dump from the “Kingfield Signal ICE Watch Group” shatters the official line that Keith Porter Jr., Renée Good, and Alex Pretti died in isolated, tragic confrontations. Instead, it exposes them as members of a tight-knit “Triad” – bound by a pact forged nearly 20 years ago in a University of Minnesota basement – who allegedly ran a sophisticated counter-surveillance operation against ICE’s “Operation Metro Surge.”
The Signal chat – eerily titled “Kingfield Signal ICE watch group” – lay dormant for months, only to light up like a Christmas tree in the frantic hours before each member’s fatal encounter. Metadata shows all three were actively typing until the very end, coordinating in real time as federal teams closed in.
Investigators traced the roots back to 2007 on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. Archived club photos and academic records from the Social Justice & Labor Union Club confirm the trio’s deep ties: Keith Porter Jr., then an upperclassman in Urban Planning, mentored the younger duo – Renée Nicole Good (sociology firebrand) and Alex Jeffrey Pretti (pre-med street-medic volunteer). They were fixtures at the 2008 RNC protests in St. Paul, often photographed side-by-side.
A former classmate, speaking anonymously, recalled: “They called themselves the ‘Triad.’ Keith was the brain, Renée the voice, Alex the protector. We laughed it off as typical college radical stuff. Nobody imagined they’d still be operating two decades later.”
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The deadly timeline is chilling when synced with the Signal logs:
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New Year’s Eve, Northridge, CA: Keith Porter Jr., 43, killed by an off-duty ICE agent who claimed he was an “active shooter.” His final message at 11:14 PM: “Eyes on the black SUV. They’re moving on the 4th Street apartment. Signal the neighborhood.”
January 7, South Minneapolis: Renée Good fatally shot during a raid. Witnesses say she shielded a family; her last upload was a crisp photo of an unmarked federal van straight to the group.
January 24, Minneapolis: Alex Pretti gunned down near Glam Doll Donuts, phone still recording in his ballistic vest as agents fired.
The decrypted files reveal far more than chit-chat. Porter – from his California base – served as “Remote Dispatcher,” using his urban planning skills to map ICE escape routes and relay intel. The group maintained “dead drops” and safe houses across states.
Most explosive: a document on Pretti’s phone called “The Grey Ledger” – a “Grey List” detailing home addresses, personal phones, and vehicle info for over 40 undercover ICE agents in Operation Metro Surge. Federal prosecutors now allege this crossed into “domestic intelligence gathering” territory, turning activists into potential threats.
Families of the deceased are furious, calling it a smear campaign. At a tearful candlelight vigil outside the UMN student union, a Good family spokesperson declared: “They’re painting Renée, Alex, and Keith as terrorists to excuse executions. These were people protecting the vulnerable from midnight raids.”
ICE issued a terse response: “The individuals were part of a coordinated effort to interfere with lawful operations, creating high-stress situations that led to tragic use of force.”
But the biggest unanswered question grips the Twin Cities: How did federal agents zero in so precisely on all three within just 25 days? Whispers of a long-compromised Signal group – perhaps a honeypot trap set by authorities – are growing louder. If true, the “Triad” weren’t just protesters… they were marked targets from the start.
On the quiet UMN campus, a makeshift memorial swells in the old Social Justice Club room. Beneath a faded 2008 photo of young Keith, Renée, and Alex laughing together, someone has etched their manifesto line: “The signal never dies.”
As forensics labs hum and investigations deepen, one thing is clear: what began as college idealism may have ended in a deadly digital web. The Kingfield Signal may be silent now – but its echoes are deafening.
