U.S. Marine Charged With Murder in Northwest Philippines

Prosecutors in the Philippines have charged a U.S. Marine with the murder of a woman, whose body was found in October.

Nineteen-year-old Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton has been refused bail, the Associated Press reports.

Government prosecuters filed the charge before a regional court on Monday, saying they found “probable cause” that Pemberton killed 26-year-old transgender woman Jennifer Laude.

Laude, a Philippine national, was found strangled and drowned on Oct. 11 in a motel bathroom in the northwestern city of Olongapo.

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The killing “was aggravated by treachery, abuse of superior strength and cruelty,” prosecutor Emily de los Santos told local reporters.

Pemberton has not made a public appearance but, according to de los Santons, he will have to attend a future court arraignment.

[AP]

Write to Helen Regan at helen.regan@timeasia.com.