A man from Manitoba who admitted to having killed a 23 -year -old woman in a cold case of New Jersey was sentenced to 10 years in prison thanks to a guilt agreement that bothered the victim’s mother.
Somerset County Judge, Angela Borkowski, accepted a guilty agreement for Robert creator, 61, 10 years in a New Jersey prison on July 23, for the strangulation of Tamara “Tammy” Tignor, according to judicial recordings reviewed by CBC News.
Creator was arrested in Winnipeg in June 2024 and extradited to New Jersey later that year. He declared himself guilty of first degree murder in relation to Tignor’s death in May.
“My daughter’s life took off. Foreign life,” said Piper Bailey, Tignor’s mother, to the New Jersey court through videoconference at the hearing last week.
“For 27 years, his murderer ran out while we were all in prison.”
The last person who saw Tignor alive on November 4, 1997, said they saw her enter an orange truck in Newark, NJ, around 4 am, prosecutors said previously.
The DNA collected from Tignor’s body, which was found about 12 hours later on a land access road near the Washington Valley Park, more than 40 kilometers from Newark, linked Robert creator with his murder, after more advanced tests were used, prosecutors said.
Bailey said he does not believe that the 10 -year sentence of creator was proportional to his crime. He spent year after year contacting the police and government officials, and having nightmares about the death of his daughter.
Creator should be “locked forever,” he said, adding that Tignor’s friends and family will be presented to any of his future probation hearings until they are all dead.
“My daughter will never be forgotten. There is no closure.”
Prosecutor Michael McLaughlin told La Corte that creator “committed several robberies” by killing Tignor, stealing the 23 -year -old and her family of her life, and stealing the state of New Jersey of the opportunity to prosecute him for almost three decades.
“A 10 -year judgment is not justice here, it is the result of that theft of time,” he said.
“Tammy would be 50 years old today. His murderer escaped justice for longer than he was alive.”
Judge Borkowski said that he hopes that creator is not released once he is eligible for probation in 8½ years, due to the probability that he can commit another crime.
“Luckily, in the future, the survivors of the victims will recognize that there is a closure in this case, not their emotions, but to the case in general,” he said.
‘The worst decision of my life’: creator
Creator, a Canadian citizen and member of the Nation Canupawakpa Dakota in southwest Manitoba, was working as a daily worker in Bridgewater, NJ, when Tignor’s body was found, CBC News learned previously.
He moved to Manitoba in 2002, where he remained until his extradition, as shown in the judicial records. Creator had been homeless in Winnipeg in the months that led to their arrest.
When he was given the opportunity to speak in court, Cueter apologized and said he wanted to recover what he did.
“I was not planned. I never wanted to hurt anyone,” said creator. “It was just a bad situation that came out of control, and I made the worst decision of my life.”
Brian Demartino, a friend of Tignor, told CBS News out of the court that he did not believe in creator’s apologies.
In the courtroom, he told creator that Tignor was like a little sister for him.
“I want to tell you that when you die, the world will be a better place and you must expect to not find your grave, because what I will do will not go through the flowers,” said Demartino.
Rhonda Reagan said she felt relieved to know who killed her friend.
“I pray every day to discover who [he was]Because he was a mystery, “he told CBS News after the audience.
