Laude family wary of Pemberton appeal
US Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton. AP FILE PHOTO
The Move of US Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton’s camp to ask the Olongapo City regional trial court (RTC) to reverse his homicide conviction has disheartened the family of slain transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude, saying they felt experiencing injustice all over again.
“Despite Pemberton’s conviction, the family can’t say that it’s really over. How many times should the Laudes see injustice in this case?” lawyer Virgie Sua-rez, one of the counsels of the Laudes, told the Inquirer on Thursday.
Suarez issued the statement after Jud-ge Roline Ginez-Jabalde of Olongapo City RTC Branch 74 started hearing on Thursday the omnibus motion filed by Pemberton’s lawyers on Dec. 16.
In an 80-page omnibus motion, Pemberton’s law-yers asked for a “partial reconsideration” and clarification of the court’s decision, asserting that the cause of Laude’s death, as established by trial evidence, was “doubtful.”
Jabalde ruled on Dec. 1 that Pemberton, who was char-ged with murder, was guilty of the lesser offense of homicide for the 2014 death of Laude.
