US Marine in Laude slay felt he was raped

US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton has admitted to choking transgender Jennifer Laude. Screengrab from GMA News TV report.

US Marine Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton has said that he felt “raped” by transgender Jennifer Laude when he was deceived into having sex with the transgender, his lawyer said on Monday.

According to a GMA News report, Atty. Benjamin Tolosa Jr. said his client felt he was the victim when Laude, who was with another transgender Barbie, invited him to have sex with him for P1,000 when he got drunk at a bar in Olongapo city, Zambales.

Laude, 26, was found lifeless on the bathroom floor of a hotel with her head slumped in the toilet bowl on Oct. 11 last year.

Tolosa said Pemberton had no intention of killing Laude. The US Marine also felt like he was being duped by Laude in a scam by inviting him to have sex.

READ: US Marine Pemberton admits hand in transgender Laude slay

“He felt like he was being raped… No intention whatsover to kill another person. He went inside that room to have fun, to have sex, as opposed to Barbie and Laude who went inside there with the plan to deceive another man.,” Tolosa said.

“He was under the impression people in that area were all in cahoots and he was in the middle of the scam and we’re working together. When he was asked that question in court, he thought people would barge not to help him but to gang up on him,” he added.

During his testimony in his murder trial at the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court Branch 74, Pemberton has admitted he choked Laude when he realized he was having sex with a transgender.

Jennifer Laude. Photo from Inquirer.net

He said he engaged into oral sex with Laude until he found out Jennifer was a transgender. He was enraged and pushed away Laude, who then slapped him. Pemberton fought back and punched Laude, and held her in an arm lock until she lost consciousness.

Pemberton said he then brought Laude to the bathroom to wake her up by sprinkling her with water. In his panic, he fled.

Pemberton said however that he left Laude still alive.

“I reached for her… Felt something weird. Something that wasn’t supposed to be there. Then she jerked away. I told her to get off me. I connected the dots. I figured that it was a dude on top of me. So I pushed her to get off me,” Pemberton said, according to the report.

“I placed my arm around him, and held him there until he stopped moving,” he further testified.

Pemberton is held in custody at Camp Aguinaldo. He was part of a joint US-Philippine military exercise when the alleged murder occurred.