Man who confessed to 1997 killing of New Jersey woman sentenced to 10 years
Nearly three decades after the murder of a woman in New Jersey, there has been some justice for her family.
Advanced DNA technology helped authorities track down her killer in Canada. As that man was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday as part of a negotiated plea deal, the victim's family and friends first faced him during what is called the victim impact statement.
Anguish expressed over murder of Tami Tignor
A Somerset County courtroom was the backdrop for the sentencing of Robert Creter in the 1997 murder of Tami Tignor. Her mother, Piper Bailey, spoke directly to the confessed killer on a Zoom call.
"He took my daughter's life. He strangled the life out of her, and he should be locked up forever," Bailey said.
Bailey described the pain she has endured since her 23-year-old daughter's body was found at Washington Valley Park.
"For 27 years, her killer was out running free while we were all in prison," Bailey said. "I scoured the area from where she disappeared day and night. I don't sleep without nightmares over her death."
DNA from under Tignor's nails led to Creter's arrest in 2023 and a confession.
"Tami was like a little sister, and when you die the world will be a better place. And you should hope what I do won't pass for flowers," friend Brian DeMartino said.
"If I could take it back, I would"
Creter, a 61-year-old with a history of convictions, including sexual assault, addressed the Tignor family.
"If I could take that day back, I would, your honor. It wasn't planned. I never meant to hurt anybody. It was just a bad situation that got out of hand and I made the worse decision of my life. If I could take it back, I would. I apologize," Creter said.
"I don't believe he is sorry. They had to drag him out of the woods to get him here," DeMartino said.
Tignor would have turned 50 years old on Wednesday. Her family said her killer was out longer than she was alive.
"I prayed every single day that we would find out who he was because he was mystery," friend Rhonda Reagan said.
"She was my only child, and she was taken from us way too soon," Bailey added.
"What was going on in my mind? An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," Tignor's stepfather said.
The judge said she was bound by the plea agreement and that she hopes when Creter is up for parole in eight and a half years he won't be released, based on the likelihood that he could commit another crime.
"We will all be there, sending letters when he's up for parole," another person said.
