US marine admits choking death of Filipina transgender

A US Marine stationed in the Philippines has admitted that he choked to death a Filipina transgender inside a motel north of the capital Manila, in a case that reignited tensions about the presence of American troops in the country.
Joseph Scott Pemberton made the admission on Monday during the hearing on Jennifer Laude's murder in Olongapo City, just outside the former US naval base in Subic, according to local news reports.
According to the reports, the American serviceman confessed to choking and dragging the victim after discovering that Laude was not biologically female.