Court enters not guilty plea for US Marine

OLONGAPO CITY, Philippines  – Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton, the US Marine accused of killing a Filipino transgender in October last year, refused yesterday to enter a plea, prompting the regional trial court judge here to plead not guilty on his behalf.

After the formal reading of charges against Pemberton for the alleged killing of Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude at the RTC Branch 74, the US soldier did not enter a plea, and Judge Roline Ginez-Jabalde entered a not guilty plea for him.

The camp of the accused filed a motion on the Bill of Particulars or clarificatory issues also set to be discussed on Feb. 27.

Media were barred from the courtroom but sources told The STAR that among those allowed in court were 16 Americans, two Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) representatives, two sisters of Laude, two private lawyers of the victim’s family, Pemberton’s lawyer Rowena Flores and public prosecutors led by Olongapo City Prosecutor Emelie delos Santos.

The accused was arraigned after the Department of Justice dismissed last week his motion for reconsideration filed before the DOJ in connection with the alleged murder of Laude at a hotel in Olongapo City.

In arraignment hearing, Pemberton refused to enter a plea as his lawyers wanted proceedings postponed as they continued to question his indictment and the finding of probable cause by the DOJ.

Judge Jabalde rejected the request upon opposition of the prosecution and considering the one-year prescription period under the VFA to conclude trial.

The judge then entered a not guilty plea on Pemberton’s behalf and the court immediately proceeded with marking of evidence and preliminary conference.

The court has also set on Friday, Feb. 27, the pre-trial conference of the murder case.

The trial proper is expected to start on third week of March with hearings set on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Heavily escorted by American security officers, Pemberton arrived at the Olongapo Hall of Justice at 5 a.m. or four hours ahead of the scheduled hearing.

After the hearing, the US Marine was immediately brought back to his detention facility jointly managed by the Philippine and US governments inside Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Laude’s private lawyer Harry Roque said Pemberton’s refusal to enter a plea and the judge entering a not guilty plea for him, as well as setting a date for pre-trial, signal the start of the legal process.

Pemberton, an active US marine who participated in the RP-US Balikatan military exercises last year, was accused of killing Laude on the night of Oct. 11 while he was on shore leave.

The two met at the Ambyanz Nightlife Bar along Magsaysay Avenue in Olongapo and later entered the nearby Celzone Lodge where hotel employees later found Laude’s body in a room’s toilet. – With Edu Punay, Ric Sapnu