Prosecutors in Pemberton case to come up with resolution in 3 weeks

MANILA, Philippines - The Olongapo City Prosecutors Office will come up with the resolution on the murder charge against United States Marine Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton three weeks after it wraps up its preliminary investigation on the case.

 

Lawyer Romel Bagares, one of the legal counsels of the members of the family of slain transgender Jennifer Laude, said that there is no more scheduled hearing for the case against Pemberton.

 

"There will be no hearing but the preliminary investigation (of the Olongapo City prosecutors) is ongoing," Bagares said.

 

Bagares also clarified that they filed a motion for reconsideration for their witness, only identified as Barbie, to identify Pemberton during the taking of DNA samples at the facility where is detained at the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Camp Aguinaldo.

 

"We cannot see if he (Pemberton) is indeed the one brought to the AFP  (Armed Forces of the Philippines) facility" he said. 

 

Aside from Barbie, Bagares said they will also take as their witness  the bellboy of the motel where Laude was found dead inside the comfort room in Subic, Zambales.

 

"These two witnesses saw Pemberton with Laude that night," he said. 

 

Bagares said it is a "victory of sorts" for members of the family with the taking and testing of the DNA samples from Pemberton, the principal suspect in the killing of Laude.

 

"The family has been for it ad has filed the motion for the said tests. What is disappointing is that they are not allowed to see, even through counsel, whether or not it is indeed Pemberton giving the latent fingerprints and buccal swabs," Bagares said. 

 

The members of the Laude family along with their lawyers went to the AFP headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo to confront Pemberton.

 

Laude's German fiance Marc Sueselbeck and the victim's sister Marilou, climbed the fence surrounding the facility where Pemberton is detained. They were prevented by soldiers guarding the facility.

 

The AFP has filed disbarment complaint against lawyer Harry Roque, one of the legal counsels of the Laude family, for the incident while Sueselbeck left the country as the Bureau of Immigration declared him as an undesirable alien.