IBINABA ng Olongapo City Regional Trial Court (RTC) ang sintensiya ni US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton sa 10 taon mula sa dating 12 taong pagkakabilanggo kaugnay ng pagpatay sa transgender na si Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude noong 2014.
Sa desisyon nito noong Marso 30, pinanindigan naman ni Olongapo RTC Branch 70 Judge Roline Jinez-Jabalde ang naunang desisyon nito kung saan napatunayang guilty si pagpatay kay Laude.
“He was so enraged and in the heat of passion arm-locked, dragged him [Laude] inside the bathroom and dunked his head in the toilet bowl,” sabi ng korte.
Sinabi naman ng abogado ng mga Laude na si Atty. Harry Roque na masaya sila sa naging desisyon ng korte.
“We are happy that Pemberton’s motion for reconsideration was not fully granted. We are happy that the decision remains that Pemberton is guilty of killing Jennifer Laude. We are happy that he was denied bail,” dagdag ni Roque.
Iginiit naman niya na hindi masaya ang pamilya ni Laude matapos mapababa ang sintensiya laban kay Pemberton.
“We are not pleased with the lighter penalty granted. We hope that this development will inspire a review of the Visiting Forces Agreement. We stressed that the lighter penalty of six to 10 years still disqualifies Pemberton from seeking early release through parole. He will continue to spend time in jail,” dagdag ni Roque.