World
Philippines pardons US Marine for killing transgender woman
A United States Marine convicted of killing a transgender woman in the Philippines in 2014 has been granted an “absolute pardon” by President Rodrigo Duterte in a case that sparked outrage over alleged preferential treatment given to American military personnel on assignment in the country.
Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton has served about six years of the 10-year sentence he was given in 2015 for killing Jennifer Laude, a 26-year-old transgender woman, in a motel room in 2014.
Duterte’s action was announced by Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Locsin Jr. on Monday and confirmed by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in a report by the state-run Philippine News Agency (PNA).
