US Marine Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton – the man accused of killing transgender Filipino Jeffrey ‘Jennifer’ Laude, was issued a warrant of arrest last Tuesday and will have to be transported to a local court by Friday.
Last October 11, Laude was found dead in a motel room in Olongapo. According to prosecutors, Pemberton, a skilled boxer, choked her from behind with his arm 'for a couple of minutes' until she stopped moving’; dragged her to the bathroom and plunged her head into the toilet bowl.
Three colleagues of Pemberton — Privates First Class Daniel Fabian Pulido, Jairn Michael Rose, and Benett Erik Dahl also recounted the series of events that night and said, they went to a hotel for a ‘boom boom’ and after that Laude’s friend, whom the three described as a ‘questionable-looking female’ approached them and said: “your friend killed my friend.” The family of Laude are seeking justice and the Philippines and the United States of America are still in debate whether Pemberton should be under the custody of the Philippines or the USA.
According to reports from Philippine networks, Pemberton was among the 3,500 US soldiers who participated in the annual joint military training with Filipino counterparts in various locations in the Philippines under the Visiting Forces Agreement. The VFA was signed by Manila and Washington in 1998.
