What happened
Jennifer Laude, a Filipina transgender woman, was killed in Olongapo in 2014 after meeting U.S. Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton.
The investigation
Witness accounts, hotel records and Pemberton’s movements placed the pair together before the killing, while the case unfolded under rules governing U.S. military personnel in the Philippines.
What the courts or investigators concluded
Pemberton was convicted of homicide and imprisoned. He was later granted an absolute pardon by the Philippine president in 2020.
Why the case remains significant
Laude’s death became a major case in debates about anti-trans violence, sovereignty and the legal arrangements governing foreign troops stationed or visiting the Philippines.
Case context
Crime by Region organizes cases geographically so readers can move from one file to other investigations from the same country. For unresolved or contested cases, the wording above reflects the distinction between confirmed events, investigative theories and findings actually established in court.