The Olongapo City court ruled that US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton is guilty of homicide and not murder over the death of transgender woman Jennifer Laude.
Pemberton was charged with murder but the court downgraded the case to homicide due to the absence of several qualifying circumstances.
According to GMA News, Pemberton will face imprisonment from six to 12 years and ordered him to pay Laude family at least P4.32 million for loss of earning capacity, P155,250 as reimbursement for wake and burial expenses, and P50,000 for moral damages.
Judge Roline Ginez-Jabalde of the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court’s Branch 74 handed down a guilty verdict on Tuesday, December 1, “All circumstances form a chain that leads to reasonable conclusion that Pemberton is responsible for the killing of Laude.”
In August, Pemberton in his testimony admitted choking Laude unconscious during a fight when he discovered she was a transgender.