MANILA — A United States Marine accused of killing a transgender woman in the Philippines acknowledged on Monday that he had choked her until she was no longer moving, but he stopped short of saying that he had killed her, according to the prosecutor assigned to the case.

The serviceman, Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton, 20, was arrested in October in connection with the death of a 26-year-old Filipino, Jennifer Laude, whose name at birth was Jeffrey. Lance Corporal Pemberton had met Ms. Laude in an Olongapo City nightclub while he was on liberty during military exercises, then accompanied her to a nearby hotel room, where she was later found dead.

Lance Corporal Pemberton, who has been charged with murder, testified during his trial on Monday. It was the first time that he had publicly provided his account of what took place in the room with Ms. Laude.

He said he had brought Ms. Laude and another woman to the hotel, not knowing that they were transgender. He received oral sex from the women, he said, and one then left to buy condoms. Ms. Laude remained in the room, and he reached down to touch her vagina, he testified.