Used condoms at crime scene not Pemberton’s

MANILA, Philippines - DNA samples taken from US Marine Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton did not match with those taken from the used condoms found in the room where transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude was found dead last month, it was reported yesterday.

The results of the forensic examination conducted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory were submitted to the Olongapo City Prosecutor’s Office during preliminary investigation yesterday of the murder case filed against Pemberton.

Earlier this month, buccal samples and fingerprints were taken from Pemberton to determine if the samples from the used condoms found at the Celzone Lodge would match his DNA.

In the same report, Olongapo City chief prosecutor Emilie Fe delos Santos noted that the prosecutors handling the case will also consider other evidence submitted during the preliminary investigation, including the testimonies of eyewitnesses who saw Pemberton enter the lodge with Laude on the night he was believed killed.

Pemberton is currently detained in a container van-turned-detention cell at the Mutual Defense Board Security Engagement Facility inside Camp Aguinaldo.

Laude, 26, was brutally killed on Oct. 11, allegedly by the US serviceman. He was found dead in a room in the lodge, the victim’s head pushed in the toilet.

The autopsy report showed that he died from drowning, even as he suffered various injuries in his body.

Investigators earlier found two used condoms in the room where Laude’s body was found, prompting lawyers of the Laude family to request for samples of Pemberton’s DNA.

The incident has renewed calls for renegotiation or outright abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement, which critics said is skewed in favor of US servicemen accused of committing criminal acts in the country.