A Winnipeg man is in police custody in New Jersey, after being charged and extradited to the U.S. in connection with a 27-year-old cold case investigation.
Robert Creter, now 60, was working as a labourer in Bridgewater, N.J., in 1997, when Tamara Tignor was found dead, New Jersey prosecutors and police said in a news release Monday.
The slaying of Tignor, a 23-year-old woman from Newark, N.J., remained cold until 2023, when investigators from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey State Police linked Creter to the crime through DNA, the release said.
Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Robert Creter
Investigators learned Creter moved to Winnipeg in 2002. He was taken into custody by Canadian authorities in June and extradited to the U.S. on Nov. 26 where he was charged with first-degree murder.
“The arrest of a suspect in this decades-old case is a testament to the unwavering dedication of law enforcement to seek justice, no matter how much time has passed,” Colonel Patrick Callahan, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said in a statement.
“This achievement highlights the power of collaboration among local, state, and federal partners to bring closure to those who have waited far too long for answers.”
The arrest was made possible due to advancements in DNA technology, the release said.
Officials in New Jersey provided details of the investigation during a news conference in that state on Monday. They acknowledged the participation of 14 law enforcement agencies, including the Winnipeg Police Service and RCMP.
Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald said a woman from Bridgewater found Tignor’s body on a dirt access road near Washington Valley Park on the afternoon of Nov. 4, 1997. An autopsy determined she died by homicide, he said.
The charges against Creter have not been tested in court.
Manitoba lawyer Brett Gladstone, who represented Creter during the extradition proceedings, said such cases are extremely uncommon in the province.
Gladstone said he did not know where in the city Creter was living, or what he was doing for work around the time of his arrest.
“I think you might find there was a little bit of a lack of stability if you dug into his background circumstances,” Gladstone said.
Creter must now find a lawyer to represent him in New Jersey, where future court proceedings will take place, Gladstone said.
A review of court records shows Creter agreed to consent to extradition in August.
Speaking generally, Gladstone said people accused of crimes are often advised to spend their resources preparing for trial and fighting their charges, rather than contesting extradition orders.
One recent exception is convicted rapist Peter Nygard, who has battled against efforts to extradite him to the U.S., where he faces sex trafficking and racketeering charges. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled last week it will not hear an appeal request concerning his extradition.
Tyler Searle
Reporter
Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press‘s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.
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