Death of Jennifer Laude

Death of Jennifer Laude

Facebook photo of Jennifer Laude
Date	October 11, 2014 (2014-10-11)
Venue	Celzone Lodge
Location	Olongapo, Philippines
Cause	Asphyxiation by drowning
Outcome	Death
Deaths	Jennifer Laude
Convicted	Joseph Scott Pemberton
Charges	Homicide
Verdict	Guilty
Convictions	6-10 years in prison Reduced from 6-12 years in prison

The death of Jennifer Laude occurred on October 11, 2014 in Olongapo, Philippines, when the 26-year-old Filipina trans woman was killed by 19-year-old Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton, who had been unaware that Laude was transgender.

This is the second reported criminal case involving a United States Marine in the Philippines under the existing Philippines–United States Visiting Forces Agreement and the first since the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. The case has spawned protests in the Philippines by transgender rights and other activists.

Laude, a trans woman, met Pemberton, a United States Marine of New Bedford, Massachusetts, at the Ambyanz disco bar in Olongapo on the evening of October 11, 2014. According to police and witnesses, they subsequently went to Celzone Lodge, a nearby motel. Thirty minutes after checking in, Pemberton left the motel, leaving the door to the room ajar. Staff found Laude's naked body, partially covered from the waist down, with her head leaning on the rim of the toilet bowl. Two used condoms recovered from the bathroom were subjected to DNA testing to determine if the semen it contained matched that of Pemberton. The results later turned out to be negative. The DNA within the condoms also did not match Laude's DNA. The cause of death was reported as "asphyxiation by drowning".

Pemberton was in the Philippines as part of regular military exercises. His ship was docked at Subic Bay Freeport, former home of the Subic Bay Naval Base, at one time one of the largest US Navy bases outside the United States.