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SOMERVILLE, NJ - On July 23, 2025, Robert Creter was sentenced by the Honorable Angela Borkowski, J.S.C., to ten years in the New Jersey State Prison, with 85% to be served without parole, for the death of Tamara “Tammy” Tignor. Defendant was initially charged with Murder in the first-degree, later plead guilty, and was sentenced to Aggravated Manslaughter in the first-degree. The State was represented by Assistant Prosecutor Michael McLaughlin and Assistant Prosecutor Lorina Murphy, with the assistance of Litigation Paralegal Amy Vandergoot.
On November 4, 1997, the victim was found dead at the Washington Valley Park in Bridgewater, NJ. An investigation revealed that the victim was last seen alive entering an orange van in Newark, NJ. After a thorough investigation, the case went cold for 27 years. On February 2, 2023, DNA evidence was resubmitted for advanced DNA testing. On April 6, 2023, Robert Creter was identified from his DNA, which was found under the victim’s fingernails. He was not previously a suspect. Further investigation revealed that in 1997, the Defendant worked at a moving company in Bridgewater that used orange vans.
A warrant for Defendant’s arrest was issued on May 18, 2023, and Defendant was arrested in Winnipeg, Canada on June 27, 2024. Upon his arrest Defendant stated, “I have had nightmares about this day happening for almost thirty years.” Following a lengthy legal process, Defendant was extradited from Canada to the United States on November 26, 2024.
The State would like to thank the New Jersey State Police Cold Case Unit, the Bridgewater Township Police Department, the Royal Canadien Mounted Police, and the Investigative Division of the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.
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