Pemberton ma to take witness stand as trial of son resumes

OLONGAPO CITY—The mother of US Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton will be the first on the witness stand for her son’s defense when his murder trial resumes here on Monday.

Pemberton is standing trial for the murder of transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude on Oct. 11 last year.

Lisa Pemberton will take the stand to serve as a character witness for her son, said lawyer Virgie Lacsa-Suarez, counsel of the Laude family.

Judge Roline Ginez-Jabalde, of Olongapo Regional Trial Court Branch 74, canceled the scheduled hearing on Aug. 4 to allow Pemberton’s lawyers to study the court resolution on the prosecution’s formal offer of evidence last month.

According to Chief City Prosecutor Emilie Fe de los Santos, the court had excluded at least 20 documentary and object evidence that the prosecution had offered to prove that Pemberton was responsible for Laude’s death.

The prosecution filed a motion on Aug. 4 asking the court to reconsider its order, which excluded vital government evidence against Pemberton.

Lawyer Rowena Garcia-Flores, Pemberton’s counsel, said the Philippine National Police crime laboratory has reexamined the condom wrapper, which government witnesses said bore the fingerprints of Pemberton.

The crime laboratory findings, which were released on July 29, said that the visible latent print that appeared on the condom wrapper was not Pemberton’s, Flores said.

“There is no longer [any] physical evidence linking Pemberton to the crime scene,” she told reporters here.

But City Deputy Prosecutor Misael Ladaga said the condom wrapper alone would not acquit Pemberton of the murder charge. Ladaga said the result of the reexamination must be “subjected to the test of the credibility of the procedure.” Allan Macatuno, Inquirer Central Luzon