Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton. File Photo from Olongapo City Police
OLONGAPO CITY, Philippines—The fingerprints of US Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton were on one of three condoms and a condom wrapper recovered from the motel room where transgender Filipino woman Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude was found dead on Oct. 11 last year, a witness in the American serviceman’s murder trial said Monday.
Laude family lawyer Virgie Suarez said one of three American forensics experts revealed the information during the continuation of Pemberton’s trial at the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court.
Jessica LeCroy, a latent print examiner from the US Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, examined three condoms found in a room at Celzone Lodge in this city.
“LeCroy testified that Pemberton’s fingerprints were present on one of the three condoms found near the bathroom door,” Suarez said.
The court has not allowed media coverage of the trial, but it allows the lawyers to inform reporters about the proceedings without discussing the merits of the case.
Suarez said the second witness, Derek Dorrien, examined the lubricants in the three condoms.
“Both LeCroy and Dorrien tested the condoms and they [discovered] that Pemberton’s fingerprints matched those on the condom wrapper,” Suarez said.
Dorrien also testified that the lubricant on the condom wrapper was the same lubricant found in Pemberton’s penile area and Laude’s anal area.
“It was the first time that we heard about the condoms found in the motel room,” Suarez said.
In the investigations undertaken by police Scene of the Crime Operations, the other two condoms recovered from the room did not match the DNA samples of Pemberton, she said.
“Based on the report of US NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) and as proven by these forensic experts, Pemberton’s fingerprints were present on one of the condoms,” Suarez said.
The third witness, George Jackson, was a forensic toxicologist who examined blood samples taken from Laude, Suarez said.
“The blood test was conducted because there were reports Jennifer had used illegal drugs. [Based on Jackson’s findings] Laude was not under the influence of methamphetamine,” Suarez said.