Tony Haase: Life After Being Acquitted of 2 Murders
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In a shocking turn of events, Tony Haase was acquitted of the murders of Tanna Togstad and Timothy Mumbrue after confessing to the crimes 30 years after they occurred. The case, which gripped a rural Wisconsin community in March 1992, resurfaced in 2022 when DNA evidence linked Haase to the double homicide.
According to reports, 23-year-old Tanna Togstad and her 35-year-old boyfriend, Timothy Mumbrue, were found stabbed to death inside a farmhouse in Royalton, Wis. Togstad had also been sexually assaulted, and even her dog, Scruffy, had succumbed to stab wounds in the brutal attack.
After three decades, police identified Haase as a potential suspect and managed to obtain his DNA during a traffic stop. The DNA sample matched evidence collected from Togstad’s body in 1992, leading to Haase’s arrest in August 2022. Despite his confession and DNA match, Haase’s defence team raised doubts about the credibility of the evidence due to years of an unclear chain of custody.
In November 2025, a Dateline special delved into the unsolved murder, shedding light on the tragic events that transpired in the small Wisconsin town. Haase’s trial revealed that there was a connection between him and Togstad, with a possible motive stemming from a tragic incident involving their fathers years before the murders.
During the interrogation, Haase disclosed that his father had died in a snowmobile accident that Togstad’s father was a part of, creating a vendetta that may have fuelled the killings. Prosecutors suggested that Haase expected Togstad to be alone at her home, unaware of Mumbrue’s presence, leading to a fatal confrontation.
However, Haase’s defence team made a shocking claim that his uncle, Jeff Thiel, who had a history of violence towards animals and people, could have been the real culprit behind the murders. They argued that Thiel, along with other potential assailants, might have been responsible for the heinous crime instead of Haase.
After a lengthy trial, Haase was ultimately acquitted of both counts of first-degree intentional homicide in August 2025. The outcome of the trial left Togstad’s family devastated, with her brother filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Haase seeking justice for his sister. Despite the acquittal, questions still loom over the true events that unfolded that fateful night in 1992.
As the case of Tony Haase continues to unfold, the complexities and mysteries surrounding the long-awaited trial leave a community divided and a family grappling with the loss of their loved ones. Only time will reveal the true story behind the tragic deaths of Tanna Togstad and Timothy Mumbrue and the enigmatic figure of Tony Haase.