Man Sentenced In 1997 Cold Case Strangulation Murder At Somerset County Park

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Robert A. Creter was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to a 27-year-old cold case strangulation killing at Washington Valley Park in Bridgewater.

Creter, 61, of Winnipeg, Canada, was sentenced on July 23 by Judge Angela Borkowski to 10 years in the New Jersey State Prison, with 85 percent to be served without parole, for the death of Tamara "Tammy" Tignor.

Creter was initially charged with murder in the first-degree. In May, he later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to aggravated manslaughter in the first-degree.

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 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, which was found under the victim’s fingernails, 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.

Further investigation revealed that in 1997, Creter worked at a moving company in Bridgewater that used orange vans.

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.

A warrant for Creter's arrest was issued on May 18, 2023, and Creter was arrested in Winnipeg, Canada, on June 27, 2024.

Upon his arrest, Creter said, "I have had nightmares about this day happening for almost 30 years," according to authorities.

Following a lengthy legal process, Creter was extradited from Canada to the United States on Nov. 26, 2024.

The State thanked the New Jersey State Police Cold Case Unit, the Bridgewater Township Police Department, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Investigative Division of the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.

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