Romeo Ranoco / Reuters
On Monday, a U.S. Marine was charged with murder in the case of a transgender woman found dead in a Philippines hotel room in October. Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton was the last person seen with Jennifer Laude, who was known previously as Jeffrey, before she was discovered naked and strangled to death on Oct. 11. She appears to have been drowned in a toilet bowl in the hotel in Olongapo city, northwest of Manila. “It’s murder,” said Philippines prosecutor Emily de los Santos. “It was aggravated by treachery, abuse of superior strength and cruelty.” Pemberton, 19, has been detained in the Philippines since October, but in a military camp under U.S. custody, rather than a traditional Filipino jail. “We will not accept anything less than justice,” said Jennifer’s sister, Marilou Laude.