Witness in Laude slay case positively identifies Pemberton in court

A witness on Tuesday positively identified before court Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton as the last companion of slain Filipino transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude, a report on “Balitanghali” said.

Mark Clarence "Barbie" Gelviro, Laude's friend and fellow transgender, said Pemberton, currently detained at a US facility inside Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, was with Laude on the night of October 11, 2014.

The witness explained that he accompanied Laude from Ambyanz Night Life in Olongapo City where they were hanging out until they entered separate rooms at Celzone Lodge with different companions.

Gelviro was calm during the prosecution's cross examination on the second day of the trial at the Olongapo City Hall of Justice, the report said.

Gelviro's sworn statement identifying Pemberton as Laude's companion on the night of October 11 was one of the basis for the murder complaint filed against Pemberton.

Laude was found dead inside the toilet of a Celzone Lodge room on the night of October 11. He reportedly met Pemberton at a bar before proceeding to the motel.

Pemberton, a member of the US Marine Corps 2nd Battalion 9th Marines in the Philippines for joint military exercises, was positively identified by Gelviro through a photo line-up process, the police said. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News