The Olongapo City Regional Trial Court has requested from the Bureau of Corrections the computation of the jail time served by US Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton, an official of the Department of Justice said on Tuesday.
“BuCor has been asked by the court in (Olongapo) to submit a computation of Pemberton’s service of sentence. It will be the court that will determine if he is entitled to release,” Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said in a message to reporters.
Pemberton, who was found guilty of killing Filipino transgender Jennifer Laude, earlier withdrew the appeal of his conviction before the Supreme Court.
The SC Third Division granted Pemberton’s urgent motion for leave dated June 2 to withdraw the petition he filed in 2017 to appeal the conviction.
The court said Pemberton’s motion stated that he has accepted that his conviction will become final.
“After thoughtful consideration of the circumstances of his case, he has decided to withdraw his petition, both as to criminal and civil aspects of the appeal, and accepts and recognizes that his conviction will become final and executory,” the SC said, citing the motion.
Pemberton was sentenced to six to 10 years in jail by the Olongapo City RTC Branch 74 in December 2015 for the killing of Laude inside a bathroom of a motel on Oct. 11, 2014.
He is now detained at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Custodial Center in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.