U.S. Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton Found Guilty of Killing Transgender Woman

According to Voice of America, Judge Roline Ginez Jabalde ruled that Pemberton, who had allowed Laude to give him oral sex, did not kill her intentionally, but lashed out and choked and drowned her after discovering that she had a male sex organ.

The Philippines’ Department of Justice, however, issued an order allowing Pemberton to be detained in a military camp in Manila until his appeal is decided by the courts, supposedly in accordance with an existing U.S.-Philippines military agreement.

However, as the report indicated, there was a commotion right after the verdict.

Laude’s mother, Julita, said that while she was happy the verdict detailed everything that had transpired, she was not pleased with the length of the jail term because she had hoped Pemberton would be convicted of murder, a more serious crime than homicide. “When he felt something weird, re realized what was on top of him was a man”, said court clerk Gerry Gruspe while reading the conviction documents. Leftist activists have used the Pemberton case to attack the VFA and the close defence ties between the United States and its former colony, the Philippines.

A court in the Philippines on Tuesday found a U.S. Marine guilty of killing a transgender woman.

“This is not quite a victory”, said Laude’s sister, Malou.

Pemberton’s homicide conviction is the first under a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the two countries signed in 1998, covering the legal liability of USA troops taking part in military operations in the Philippines.

“The decision was a safe mode for Olongapo RTC Judge Jabalde, a win-win formula so that she can’t get the ire of Washington by ordering a shorter jail sentence for the convicted USA marine personnel”, said Hicap. The convicted US Marine filed a handwritten motion for clarification on his detention, Laude family’s counsel Atty. The US acquired the Philippines from Spain after the Spanish-American War of 1898.

Pemberton, 19, from Bristol, Massachusetts was an anti-tank missileman assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Currently, he is being held at the detention facility of Camp Aguinaldo. “This is a sad day for the victim’s family, a sad day for Philippine sovereignty”. “It is now up to the [Philippine] government to stand its ground against USA pressure to take custody of Pemberton”, Gabriela said in a statement.

The US has increased military aid to the Philippines this year amid rising tensions in the region over China’s new assertiveness in the South China Sea.