SOMERVILLE, N.J. (Somerset County) — A man from Winnipeg, Canada, was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison for the 1997 killing of Tamara “Tammy” Tignor, bringing closure to a cold case that had remained unsolved for more than 27 years.
Robert Creter, 51, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Angela Borkowski to a decade in prison, with 85% of the term to be served without the possibility of parole. Creter had initially been charged with first-degree murder but later pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter.
Tignor’s body was discovered on November 4, 1997, in Washington Valley Park in Bridgewater Township. She was last seen entering an orange van in Newark. Despite a thorough investigation, no suspects were identified at the time, and the case went cold.
In February 2023, DNA evidence found under Tignor’s fingernails was resubmitted for advanced forensic testing. On April 6, 2023, the results matched Creter, who was not previously a suspect. Investigators later confirmed he had worked for a Bridgewater moving company in 1997 that used orange vans.
A warrant for Creter’s arrest was issued on May 18, 2023. He was located and arrested in Winnipeg on June 27, 2024. Upon his arrest, Creter reportedly told authorities, “I have had nightmares about this day happening for almost thirty years.” He was extradited to the United States on November 26, 2024.
Law enforcement agencies credited with helping solve the case include the New Jersey State Police Cold Case Unit, the Bridgewater Township Police Department, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Investigative Division.
