The smug looking a$$hole on the featured image is U.S. Marine, Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton. On Tuesday morning, a Philippine court found Pemberton guilty of killing Jennifer Laude upon discovering that she was physically a man.
The court convicted Pemberton of homicide, sentencing him to 6 to 12 years for the tragic murder of Laude. Even the judge appeared to breathe a sigh of relief when she raised her head at the announcement of Pemberton’s guilty plea (see video here at the 27 second mark).
Pemberton claimed he hired Laude as a prostitute last year while he was in the Philippines for a joint military exercise. On Oct. 14, 2014, the two met at a club in Olongapo city and soon found their way to a local hotel.
Upoon discovering that Laude was transgender, Pemberton strangled Laude, in what Pemberton called a “fit of anger.” Pemberton claimed that he attempted to revive Laude after he strangled her. Police, however, discovered Laude with her head inside a toilet bowl. The court found that Pemberton first strangled Laude, and then pushed her head in the toilet, drowning her.
Pemberton alleges he only lashed out at Laude, but did not actually kill her. His defense team argued that there were three sets of finger prints on Laude’s neck. They imply that because she allegedly is a prostitute, that it is reasonable that another individual was with Laude that night. The defense must believe that this is enough reasonable doubt to acquit Pemberton. They plan on appealing his conviction.
Laude’s family is disappointed that Pemberton was not convicted of murder and did not face a longer sentence. Despite their disappointment, they are grateful that Pemberton is facing jail time because his conviction justifies that Laude’s “life [was] not wasted.”
Featured image is a screenshot from this Youtube video.
