Death of Ellen Greenberg

Ellen Rae Greenberg (June 23, 1983 – January 26, 2011) was an American woman who died after sustaining 20 stab wounds. Her death was ruled a suicide, but has been widely described as suspicious.

Ellen Greenberg
Born
Ellen Rae Greenberg

June 23, 1983
DiedJanuary 26, 2011(2011-01-26) (aged 27)
Cause of deathStab wounds
NationalityAmerican
OccupationTeacher

Background

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Ellen Rae Greenberg was born on June 23, 1983, to Josh and Sandee Greenberg.[1] She earned a degree in communications from Penn State University and her teaching credentials from Temple University.[2] She was a first-grade teacher at Juniata Park Academy in the Juniata neighborhood of Philadelphia.[3][4] She lived in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia, where she shared an apartment with her fiancé, Samuel Goldberg.[5]

Incident

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On January 26, 2011, a blizzard hit Philadelphia, prompting Greenberg to leave work and return to her apartment.[5] At approximately 6:40 p.m., Greenberg was pronounced dead as a result of 20 stab wounds, including 10 to her back and neck.[6][7] There were also 11 bruises in various stages of resolution[8] on her right arm, abdomen, and right leg.[9]

According to the investigation report, Greenberg's body was discovered by her fiancé, Samuel Goldberg, who returned from a gym to find their apartment deadbolted, and knocked down the door after unsuccessfully trying to reach her.[10] Goldberg subsequently called 911 stating that Greenberg "stabbed herself" and "fell on a knife".[11]

The crime scene was initially treated as a suicide by the police investigators,[5] but after the autopsy the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office ruled the case as a homicide.[12] The next day, the Philadelphia Police Department differed with that conclusion, saying, "the death of Ellen Greenberg has not been ruled a homicide [...] Homicide investigators are considering the manner of death as suspicious at this time."[12] The medical examiner's office then changed its conclusion, saying the death was a suicide in February 2011.[4]

The apartment was cleaned and sanitized on January 27, after permission to do so was given from the police. James Schwartzman, Goldberg's uncle and a prominent judge in Pennsylvania,[13] also entered the apartment that day to retrieve work and personal laptops, phones, and credit cards belonging to both Goldberg and Greenberg. Police returned to the scene on January 28 after gaining a search warrant, and also requested and retrieved the items taken by Schwartzman.[14][15]

In 2018, the office of Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro took over the case. In 2019, a spokesperson for Shapiro stated that evidence pointed toward Greenberg's death being a suicide, and that the investigation had been closed.[16][17]

Further investigation

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On March 15, 2019, The Philadelphia Inquirer released a front-page investigative report reviewing the suspicious circumstances surrounding Greenberg's death.[5] Pittsburgh forensic pathologist Cyril H. Wecht, who challenged the single-bullet theory of the John F. Kennedy assassination, reviewed the case, determined it was "strongly suspicious of homicide", and said he did not "know how they wrote this off as a suicide".[5] Similarly, forensic scientist Henry Lee, who testified for the defense in the O. J. Simpson murder trial, reviewed the case files and concluded, "the number and types of wounds and bloodstain patterns observed are consistent with a homicide scene".[5]

One significant point of contention were the stab wounds that allegedly penetrated Greenberg's brain. Wayne K. Ross, an investigator hired by the family, wrote that the wounds to the brain and spinal cord would have caused severe pain, cranial nerve dysfunction, and traumatic brain injuries.[9] The original medical report stated that an esteemed consulting neuropathologist, Lucy Balian Rorke-Adams, had determined there was no such wound. But when asked about the case seven years later by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Rorke-Adams responded, in writing, "I have no recollection of such a case", and "I would conclude that I did not see the specimen in question although there is a remote possibility that it was shown to me."[9] The newspaper examined the records and determined that "there was no bill, invoice, or report from Rorke-Adams for this case".[9]

Initially, investigators thought the apartment door had been locked from the inside using a swing bar latch, and reported that Goldberg had been with a security guard when busting it open. The manager of Greenberg's apartment building later claimed that the door being latched did not prove Greenberg had locked the door from the inside. The security guard in question said he was not there when Goldberg forced open the door, and security footage showed Goldberg without the security guard on the elevator just before the 911 call was made. An analysis of phone records by CNN also appeared to contradict claims by two relatives of Goldberg's that they had been on the phone with him as he broke the door down.[11][15]

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In October 2019, Greenberg's parents filed a civil suit against the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office and Marlon Osbourne, the pathologist who conducted the autopsy, in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.[6] The suit seeks to change the manner of death to "homicide" or "undetermined", citing new information and the fact that Osbourne admitted to changing the manner of death at the insistence of the police.[6] Photogrammetry, which was unavailable at the time of Greenberg's death, created a 3D anatomical recreation of her wounds and demonstrated that not all her stab wounds could have been self-inflicted.[18]

In January 2020, the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas allowed the case to proceed past the motion to dismiss stage.[19] The trial was set to begin in 2021.[20] In February 2022, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office under Shapiro reaffirmed that her death was a suicide, which was criticized by Greenberg's parents.[16] In August 2022, the Chester County District Attorney's office announced it would reopen the investigation into Greenberg's death, shortly after the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office relinquished the case due to an "appearance of" conflict of interest.[21] On July 30, 2024, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Eastern District granted a petition for allowance of appeal to review the challenges to Greenberg's cause of death.[22] In February 2025, following a lawsuit from Greenberg's parents, a settlement was reached in which Greenberg's death would be re-investigated. Osbourne filed a sworn statement in which he stated he no longer agreed with the ruling of her death as a suicide following a review of additional information in the case.[23]

In February 2025, the pathologist that originally ruled the case a suicide signed a document stating he amended his position on the cause of her death, no longer considering it a suicide. He wrote "it is my professional opinion Ellen’s manner of death should be designated as something other than suicide." Since Osbourne is no longer employed by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s office, his statement does not have any influence on the official death certificate.[11]

Media coverage

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Following The Philadelphia Inquirer investigation, the case became a sensation in the true crime community. The incident was featured in the Dr. Oz Show,[24] People Magazine,[25] 48 Hours,[9] Inside Edition,[26] The Philadelphia Inquirer, CBS Philadelphia,[20] Good Day Philadelphia (FOX29 Philly),[27] ABC Harrisburg, CBS Harrisburg, Penn Live, NBC's Oxygen network,[28] the Daily Mail, and Law.com.[citation needed] The suspicion surrounding Greenberg's death was also the lead episode in second season of the true crime television show Accident, Suicide or Murder.[28]

A number of podcasts have also detailed Greenberg's death, including the Criminology Podcast featuring Cyril H. Wecht, Crime Junkie, Elisa De Marco's Elisa True Crime and Morbid: A True Crime Podcast episode #267 date:9/28/21 and Serialously episode 187 dated 8/26/2024.

References

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  1. ^ Marroni, Steve (May 13, 2019). "Suicide or homicide? Parents' anguished search for answers lasts years after daughter dies of 20 stab wounds". pennlive. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  2. ^ Cavallier, Andrea (December 26, 2021). "Parents of Ellen Greenberg believe new evidence submitted to the Philadelphia Attorney General's Office will prove their daughter's 2011 death was murder, not suicide". NBC News. NBC. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "Manayunk teacher death ruled 'suspicious'". 6 ABC Philadelphia. January 30, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Jabali-Nash, Naimah (January 31, 2011). "Homicide or Suicide?: Conflicting Findings Arise in Stabbing Death of Pa. Teacher". CBS News. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Farr, Stephanie (March 15, 2019). "A Philly teacher's brutal stabbing has experts at odds: Was it a suicide or homicide?". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Farr, Stephanie (October 16, 2019). "Family of teacher who died from 20 stab wounds sues Philadelphia medical examiner to have suicide ruling changed". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  7. ^ "Medical Examiner's Office Investigation Report – Ellen Greenberg Case Docs". March 28, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022 – via Gavin Fish.
  8. ^ "Deposition of Marlon Osbourne, MD – Ellen Greenberg Case Docs". March 28, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022 – via Gavin Fish.
  9. ^ a b c d e Roppolo, Michael (March 11, 2020). "Authorities say the cause of a Philadelphia teacher Ellen Greenberg's death was suicide, but her parents say it was murder". CBS News.
  10. ^ Cavallier, Andrea (December 26, 2021). "Parents of Ellen Greenberg believe new evidence submitted to the Philadelphia Attorney General's Office will prove their daughter's 2011 death was murder, not s". NBC News. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c Lake, Thomas (February 4, 2025). "Despite 20 knife wounds and 11 bruises, Ellen Greenberg's death was ruled a suicide. The pathologist just changed his mind". CNN. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  12. ^ a b Scally, Bernard J (February 2, 2011). "Police consider Manayunk death 'suspicious': not homicide". The Times Herald. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  13. ^ Katelaris, Eleanor (February 4, 2025). "'Suicide' of bride-to-be stabbed 20 times re-examined 14 years later". news.com.au. Retrieved February 17, 2025. They have questioned why the crime scene was cleaned and sanitised before detectives arrived and why Mr Goldberg's uncle, James Schwartzman, a prominent Pennsylvania judge, was allowed to enter the flat and remove several of Ellen's belongings, including her computer and phone.
  14. ^ Luciew, John (May 15, 2023). "Ellen Greenberg died by 'suicide' with 20 stab wounds. Her parents are out to prove that's impossible". pennlive. Retrieved February 17, 2025. The apartment was cleaned and sanitized the next day — before detectives and their forensics team secured a search warrant and returned there on Jan. 28. The cleaning took place after the apartment management and Sam Goldberg's father, Richard, each called police on Jan. 27 asking for instructions on how to go about cleaning the bloodied apartment, Johnson confirmed. Both were referred by police to a company specializing in crime scene sanitation. James Schwartzman also entered the apartment and retrieved a funeral suit for Sam, his nephew. He also took work and personal laptops, phones, and credit cards belonging to Sam and Ellen to safeguard them, Johnson confirmed. Police requested and received the items removed by Schwartzman.
  15. ^ a b "Ellen Greenberg's body was found with 20 knife wounds. Authorities ruled it suicide". CNN. December 9, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2025. By the time Osbourne ruled Ellen's death a homicide and the Crime Scene Unit made its delayed arrival on the 28th, the police had already given permission to have the apartment professionally cleaned. Evidence they might have gathered was lost forever. A relative of Sam Goldberg had already visited the apartment and collected certain items, including Ellen's iPhone and computers — her personal laptop and another one from work. They would later be handed over to the police by the attorney James Schwartzman, the same uncle who said he was on the phone with Sam when Sam forced his way into the apartment ... For his part, the security guard, Phil Hanton, filed a declaration saying he did not accompany Sam upstairs that day. Surveillance video showed Sam getting on the elevator without Hanton just before the 911 call was made.
  16. ^ a b "EXCLUSIVE: Pennsylvania Attorney General Again Determines Mysterious Death Of Ellen Greenberg A Suicide After Review". CBS News. February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2025. When Krasner became Philadelphia District Attorney in 2018, the Greenbergs reached back out to their old lawyer to see if he'd reopen the investigation. Krasner referred the matter to the state AG's Office, then helmed by Shapiro, to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. Advertisement Shapiro's office had the case for more than a year. It was only when Thef Inquirer pressed the office for answers that Shapiro's spokesperson at the time, Joe Grace (now spokesperson for Mayor Cherelle L. Parker), said in a 2019 statement that the office had conducted a "thorough investigation" and that the "evidence supports 'Suicide' as the manner of death" and the AG has "closed this investigation."
  17. ^ Farr, Stephanie (August 5, 2024). "Gov. Josh Shapiro and the Ellen Greenberg case, explained". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  18. ^ Sheehan, Brian (October 18, 2019). "Family hopes new lawsuit ends search for answers in daughter's mysterious death". WHP. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  19. ^ McKelvey, Wallace (January 8, 2020). "Suicide or homicide? Parents score legal victory in 9-year search for answers". Pennlive.com. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  20. ^ a b Sheehan, Brian (February 7, 2020). "Suicide or Homicide: Mystery over Ellen Greenberg's Death Baffles Experts – Lamb McErlane Attorney Joseph Podraza Interviewed on CBS21 News". Lamb McErlane PC. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  21. ^ Cesaric, Corin (September 2, 2022). "Teacher Had 20 Stab Wounds, Yet 2011 Death Was Ruled Suicide – Now DA Is Reopening Investigation". People. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  22. ^ "Pennsylvania Supreme Court to hear arguments over 2011 death of Philadelphia teacher Ellen Greenberg". CBS News. July 30, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  23. ^ "Death of teacher with 20 stab wounds to be reinvestigated after reversed suicide ruling". NBC News. February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  24. ^ "Was Philly Teacher Ellen Greenberg's Death a Homicide or a Suicide?". The Dr. Oz Show. December 5, 2019. Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  25. ^ Harris, Chris (October 17, 2019). "Pa. Teacher's Death Was Ruled Suicide — But Parents, Citing 20 Stab Wounds, Say She Was Murdered". People. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  26. ^ "Ellen Greenberg Death: Parents Say Daughter Stabbed 20 Times Didn't Take Her Own Life". Inside Edition. May 2, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  27. ^ "Family fights to have suicide ruling changed to homicide". FOX 29 News Philadelphia. October 17, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  28. ^ a b "Accident, Suicide, or Murder Premieres Saturday, March 23rd at 7/6c". Oxygen. March 18, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2023.