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.

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]

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