1997 Cold Case Strangulation Murder At NJ Park Ends In Confession, Guilty Plea

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — A 27-year-old cold case strangulation killing at Washington Valley Park in Bridgewater has finally come to a close with the confession and guilty plea from Robert A. Creter, 61, of Winnipeg, Canada.

Creter this week pled guilty to the first-degree aggravated manslaughter of Tamara “Tammy” Tignor on Nov. 4, 1997, before Judge Angela F. Borkowski in Somerville.

Creter admitted during the plea that on Nov. 4, 1997 in Bridgewater "he manually strangled Tignor with his bare hands, causing her death," according to authorities.

In exchange for his guilty plea, the state agreed to a 10-year New Jersey State Prison sentence for Creter, with 85 percent of that sentence to be served without parole. Sentencing is set for July 11, at 11 a.m.

In the late afternoon of Nov. 4, 1997, a Bridgewater resident called 911 to report finding a dead woman's body on a dirt access road that ended in a cul-de-sac off Gillbride Road near Washington Valley Park. Read More: Bridgewater Cold Case Strangulation Murder At Washington Valley Park Solved 27 Years Later

The woman was identified as Tignor, 23, who grew up in the Somerset County area.

Authorities said the last person to see Tignor alive was when she got into an orange van in Newark.

DNA evidence gathered from Tignor's body was re-examined by members of the New Jersey Police Laboratory's Office of Forensic Science. And on April 6, 2023, a high stringency match was linked to Creter.

It is unclear what relationship Tignor and Creter had or if they had known each other before her death. Creter had lived in the Middlesex/Somerset County area at the time of her death before relocating to Winnipeg, Canada in 2002, according to authorities..

In 2023, Creter was charged with first-degree murder.

The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office worked with the U.S. Department of State to adhere to the legal process of serving Creter with his criminal complaint in Canada. On June 27, 2024, Creter was taken into custody by Canadian authorities based on his New Jersey arrest warrant for murder.

On Nov. 26, 2024, Creter was extradited to the United States from Canada by members of the United States Marshals Service.

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