Duterte pardons US Marine who killed Filipino transgender woman in 2014

Jennifer Laude was found dead, her head slumped in a toilet bowl in a motel room, where witnesses said she and Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton had checked in

In December 2015, a judge convicted Pemberton of homicide, not the more serious charge of murder that prosecutors sought

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US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton is escorted to his detention cell upon arrival at Camp Aguinaldo. Photo: AP

Published: 9:14pm, 7 Sep 2020Updated: 9:28pm, 7 Sep 2020

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday pardoned a United States Marine convicted of killing a transgender woman in the country nearly six years ago, sparking condemnation from activists who described the move as a “mockery of justice”.

Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton was jailed in 2015 for killing Jennifer Laude near a former US navy base. A trial court signed off on his early release last week for good conduct, but was blocked by an appeal from Laude’s lawyers.

“Cutting matters short over what constitutes time served, and since where he was detained was not in prisoner’s control – and to do justice – the president has granted an absolute pardon,” Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin announced on Twitter.

One of Laude’s lawyer was dismayed by the pardon and questioned Duterte’s commitment to a foreign policy that he insists is independent and not dictated by US interests.

An activist holds a placard during a protest at the Department of Justice in Manila. Photo: EPA

“We see the welfare of our countrymen are set aside,” lawyer Rommel Bagares told DZBB radio.