Trigger warning: The article contains details of sexual assault and murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Tami Tignor’s case was unsolved for at least three decades before Robert Creter faced first-degree murder charges in May 2023. The 1997 murder was finally closed after the man pleaded guilty and confessed to first-degree aggravated manslaughter. According to a report by CBS News, on July 23, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
On November 4, 1997, a 911 call was dialed to the Bridgewater Township police about a female body that was discovered on a dirt access road. Later, it was identified as Tami Tignor, then 23. According to ABC 7, using the latest technology, the DNA from the woman’s s-xual assault kit was re-tested and found a match with Creter.
According to the investigation, the man likely picked up Tami and then r-ped her before k-lling her by strangling. ABC 7 reports that her body was disposed of in the woods near Washington Valley Park and was discovered only a few hours later.
However, the case went cold shortly after, and there was no trace of Creter as well. Authorities learned that the man moved to Winnipeg, Canada, in 2002. The Canadian police took him into custody in June 2024, and then he was extradited to New Jersey the following November.
In their press release from the Somerset County’s Prosecutor’s Office, the man had admitted to “manually strangling Ms. Tignor with his bare hands, causing her death.” They also confirmed that Creter had taken a plea deal.
COLD CASE Suspect in court—9AM
-First look, in person, at 60 yr old Robert Creter.
-Somerset Cty Courthouse.
-Charge: Murder—Related to 1997 strangulation of Tami Tignor.
***Creter was linked to crime scene thru DNA. 🧬 @news12nj #tamaratignor pic.twitter.com/sjl4g6KeaL
— Chris Keating (@ChrisKeatingNJ) December 4, 2024
“If I could take that day back, I would, your honor. It wasn’t planned,” he told the judge. During the hearing, he said, “I never meant to hurt anybody. It was just a bad situation that got out of hand and I made the worst decision of my life. If I could take it back, I would. I apologize.”
According to CBS, the judge said that she hopes Creter becomes ineligible for parole in eight and a half years. The 10-year sentence was recommended as part of the plea deal. Piper Bailey, the victim’s mother lamented that her mu-derer should have been caught a long time ago.
“For 27 years, her killer was out running free while we were all in prison,” she told CBS. “I scoured the area from where she disappeared day and night. I don’t sleep without nightmares over her death. “He took my daughter’s life. He strangled the life out of her, and he should be locked up forever,” Bailey added.
According to CBS, Tignor would have been 50 years old when the Creter was given his sentencing.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
