187: Stabbed 20x to Head, Neck & Torso - But She Did It Herself? | The Disturbing Case of Ellen Greenberg

Ellen Greenberg, a 27-year-old first-grade teacher, was found dead in her apartment with 20 stab wounds, leading to an initial ruling of suicide that her family and experts have since vehemently contested.

Ellen Greenberg was discovered by her fiancé, Samuel Goldberg, in their apartment with a knife sticking out of her chest. Ellen had stab wounds in her torso, the back of her head, the neck, and her spine. The brutality and positioning of the wounds, particularly the 10 to the back of her neck—one of which penetrated her brain—have raised doubts about the suicide ruling.

Ellen Greenberg, a 27-year-old first grade teacher, was found dead in her apartment with 20 stab wounds, yet the initial ruling was suicide.

New forensic evidence suggests that the crime scene may have been staged. Blood evidence found in the kitchen alongside a fruit salad she was making contradicts the official narrative that Ellen took her own life. The knife used was consistent with one that would have been used for making the fruit salad.

Ellen's mother, Sandee Greenberg, has articulated disbelief that her daughter could stab herself 20 times. She points out that on the night of Ellen's death, there was a snowstorm, the balcony was covered in undisturbed snow, and the door to Ellen's unit was locked from the inside with a swing bar latch, suggesting that exit or entry would have been impossible.

The apartment was locked from the inside, with no signs of a break-in or struggle, suggesting the death could not have been self-inflicted.

When Samuel returned from working out, he found Ellen unresponsive. After waiting roughly half an hour with no reply from her despite texts, calls, and shouting, and with the doorman refusing to assist, he broke the door down. This violent entry was corroborated by the fact that the door had been secured from the inside, an action that the coroner later indicated would have prevented him from changing his ruling from homicide to suicide in a civil suit deposition.

The brutality and location of the wounds, including 10 to the back of her neck, were highly unusual for a suicide by stabbing.

Experts consulted by Ellen's family, including private investigators and renowned pathologists, found the stab wounds inconsistent with suicide. Two neuropathologists concluded that Ellen could not have taken her own life after reviewing her autopsy report and brain tissue samples. A Pittsburgh forensic pathologist determined the case was “strongly suspicious of homicid ...

Ellen Greenberg's family has been steadfast in their pursuit of justice, tirelessly seeking to change the official ruling of their daughter's death from suicide to homicide.

Ellen's parents, Joshua and Sandy Greenberg, have been relentlessly pushing for a thorough, unbiased investigation into their daughter's death.

Since Ellen Greenberg’s passing, her parents Joshua and Sandy Greenberg have not accepted the ruling of suicide. Asserting that the ruling is absurd, they have embarked on a decade-long journey to seek the truth. The family encountered a jurisdictional shift from the Philadelphia Police Department to the office of then Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who declined to take over in 2022, citing insufficient evidence to overturn the suicide ruling. Despite the ongoing struggle, the Greenbergs have been proactive, engaging private investigators, forensic experts, and a renowned pathologist who have all suggested the death was a homicide.

They have hired private investigators, forensic experts, and a renowned pathologist to review the case, all of whom have concluded that the evidence points to homicide, not suicide.

With the help of an attorney, the Greenbergs pursued legal action against the medical examiner's office, aiming to have the cause of death changed to homicide. New evidence from private investigators and experts like the use of photogrammetry to create a 3D recreation of Ellen's wounds has supported the argument that not all wounds could have been self-inflicted. Sandee Greenberg's statement about straight edge wounds suggested the possibility of multiple knives and assailants.

The family has filed multiple lawsuits and appeals, including a recent appeal that has reached the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, in their ongoing quest for the truth.

This fight for truth found its way to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in July when the court agreed to hear the Greenbergs' appeal concerning the manner of Ellen's death indicated on her death certificate. The persistence of the Greenbergs, in hiring experts and ...

Concerns have arisen about possible political and institutional biases in the investigation into Ellen Greenberg's death and the subsequent legal proceedings, particularly involving her fiance, Sam Goldberg, and his connections to high-profile individuals in Philadelphia’s legal and political circles.

There are concerns that Ellen's fiance, Sam Goldberg, may have had connections to influential figures in Philadelphia's legal and political circles.

Sam Goldberg, Ellen's fiance, is tied to prominent figures in Philadelphia, leading to speculation that these connections may have influenced the course of the investigation. Uncertainty stems from actions taken by Sam's family members at the crime scene and subsequent legal decisions made by officials who had previous relationships with the Goldberg family.

Sam's uncle, a lawyer, was allowed to enter the crime scene and remove Ellen's personal belongings, including her computer and phone, which could have compromised the investigation.

The Greenberg family has raised concerns about the handling of Ellen Greenberg's case by the Philadelphia Police Department, particularly noting that Sam Goldberg's uncle, who is a lawyer (and supposedly a judge on the state attorney's disciplinary board), was permitted to enter the crime scene and remove Ellen's personal belongings. This included her computer, phone, wallet, and other critical items. Private investigator Thomas Brennan pointed out that the removal of these items interfered with the chain of evidence, potentially compromising the investigation.

The case was initially handled by the Philadelphia Police Department and Medical Examiner's Office, but the Greenberg family argued that there was a conflict of interest and fought to have it transferred to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.

Ellen's parents, Joshua and Sandee Greenberg, questioned why the Philadelphia Police Department failed to immediately secure Ellen's belongings and why it took several days for the police to take action. This delay and the breach in securing evidence led the Greenberg family to suspect a conflict of interest and campaign for the case to be transferred away from local authorities to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.

When the case was presented to the Attorney General, Josh Shapiro, who is now the Governor of Pennsylvania, he declined to reopen the investigation, citing a lack of evidence, despite the family's persistent efforts.

Further allegations have emerged, suggesting that Josh Shapiro, who was the state's attorney general ...