Killing of Jennifer Laude
On October 11, 2014, Jennifer Laude (Tagalog pronunciation: [ˈlaʊdɛ]), a Filipina trans woman, was drowned to death by Joseph Scott Pemberton, a Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corps in Olongapo, Philippines. Pemberton admitted assaulting Laude and deployed a trans panic defense in his 2015 trial. His charge was downgraded from murder to homicide by a judge in 2015, and he was convicted on December 1, 2015. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte granted an absolute pardon to Pemberton in September 2020.
| Killing of Jennifer Laude | |
|---|---|
Location of Olongapo within Central Luzon | |
| Location | Celzone Lodge, Olongapo, Philippines |
| Date | October 11, 2014 |
Attack type | Homicide, asphyxiation by drowning, hate crime |
| Victim | Jennifer Laude |
| Perpetrator | Joseph Scott Pemberton |
| Motive | Transphobia |
| Verdict | Guilty on the lesser offense of homicide |
| Charges | Murder |
| Sentence |
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This was the second reported criminal case involving a United States Marine in the Philippines under the Philippines–United States Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the first since the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). The killing spawned protests in the Philippines by transgender rights groups and other activists.