Wisconsin Man Allegedly Confessed to Murders, Still Acquitted at Trial

A Wisconsin jury couldn't find a man guilty of committing a double murder ... even though the police say he confessed to the crimes.

Tony Haase -- a 54-year-old man -- was acquitted on a pair of murder charges in August ... and his story was the subject of Friday night's episode of "Dateline" titled "Raising the Dead."

Here's the deal ... back in March 1992, Tanna Togstad, 23, and Timothy Mumbrue, 35, were found dead inside Togstad's farmhouse. Togstad suffered multiple stab wounds, while Mumbrue was killed by a single stab wound to the chest.

Fast forward three decades to 2022 ... and, cops -- having identified Tony Haase as a potential suspect -- staged a traffic stop and obtained some of Haase's DNA and ran it against DNA collected after the bodies were found in '92. Officials say the two samples matched.

Haase was brought in for questioning ... where cops say he told them he only remembers "snippets" of entering the house and getting into a "scuffle" with Mumbrue -- though he allegedly worried he may be involved in the slayings after seeing news reports about the crimes.

During this interrogation, cops claim Haase revealed a connection between himself and Togstad ... explaining their fathers were friends until his dad died in a snowmobile accident -- in which Togstad's dad was also involved -- about 15 years prior to the two murders. Cops say he admitted to drinking on the night the murders occurred while heading in the direction of Togstad's house.

Subsequently, prosecutors charged Haase with two counts of first-degree murder. His lawyers argued Tony was coerced into a false confession by cops during these interrogations ... and, they also claimed his uncle -- Jeff Thiel, who died in 1995 -- actually killed Tanna and Timothy. Jeff's daughter Heather has said she believes her father committed the murders.

Haase's team also pointed the finger at convicted murderer Glendon Gouker ... who actually admitted to killing the two in 2013 -- though prosecutors argued he had a history of making false confessions.