Ellen Greenberg was a 27-year-old elementary school teacher who loved her job, her family, and her fiancé. She had a bright future ahead of her and seemed to have everything going for her. But on January 26, 2011, she was found dead in her apartment in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a kitchen knife lodged in her chest and 20 stab wounds all over her body.
The police initially ruled her death a homicide, but later changed it to a suicide, citing a lack of evidence of foul play and a history of mental health issues. However, her parents, Joshua and Sandra Greenberg, have never accepted this conclusion and have been fighting for more than a decade to prove that their daughter was murdered. They have hired a team of experts, filed a civil lawsuit, and appealed to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office to reopen the case and conduct a thorough investigation.
They have also been featured in a documentary titled “Accident, Suicide or Murder: The Ellen Greenberg Case”, which aired on Oxygen in April 2020. The documentary explores the many inconsistencies and unanswered questions surrounding Ellen’s death, such as:
- How did Ellen manage to inflict 20 stab wounds on herself, including 10 to the back of her head and neck, without leaving any defensive wounds or signs of struggle?
- Why was the knife still embedded in her chest, when most suicide victims remove the weapon after stabbing themselves?
- Why was the door to her apartment locked from the inside with a swing bar latch, which would have prevented anyone from entering or leaving the apartment after the stabbing?
- Why did the crime scene show signs of tampering, such as a knife that was overturned, blood spatter that was inconsistent with the wounds, and a gash on the back of her head that may have rendered her unconscious?
- Why did the police fail to interview key witnesses, such as the building manager, the security guard, the cleanup crew, and the neighbors, who may have seen or heard something suspicious?
- Why did the police not collect or test crucial evidence, such as the knife, the door, the latch, the blood samples, the fingerprints, the DNA, and the video footage from the building’s surveillance cameras?
- Why did the medical examiner change the manner of death from homicide to suicide, without consulting the police or the family, and based on a flawed and biased analysis?
- Why did the police and the prosecutors refuse to reopen the case or consider new evidence, despite the requests and appeals from the family and their attorney?
All About Ellen Greenberg
| Name | Ellen Rae Greenberg |
|---|---|
| Birth date | June 23, 1983 |
| Birthplace | New York City, New York |
| Death date | January 26, 2011 |
| Death place | Manayunk, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Cause of death | Stab wounds |
| Manner of death | Ruled suicide, disputed by family and experts |
| Occupation | Elementary school teacher |
| Fiancé | Samuel Goldberg |
| Parents | Joshua and Sandra Greenberg |
| Documentary | “Accident, Suicide or Murder: The Ellen Greenberg Case” |
The Fiancé: A Suspect or a Scapegoat?
One of the most controversial aspects of Ellen’s death is the role of her fiancé, Samuel Goldberg, who was the last person to see her alive and the first person to find her dead. Goldberg, a television producer, had proposed to Ellen just a month before her death and they were planning to get married in August 2011. He claimed that he loved Ellen and that they had a happy relationship, despite some minor arguments and stress.
However, some of the evidence and the testimony suggest that Goldberg may have had a motive, an opportunity, and a means to kill Ellen, such as:
- He had access to the apartment and the knife, and he knew how to use the swing bar latch to lock the door from the inside.
- He had a history of domestic violence, as he had been arrested in 2006 for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, who had filed a restraining order against him.
- He had a history of drug abuse, as he had been arrested in 2009 for possession of cocaine and marijuana, and he had admitted to using drugs on the day of Ellen’s death.
- He had a history of financial problems, as he had filed for bankruptcy in 2010 and he had a large amount of debt, which could have been alleviated by Ellen’s life insurance policy.
- He had a history of infidelity, as he had been accused of cheating on Ellen by several women, who had contacted Ellen and warned her about him.
- He had a history of lying, as he had lied to the police and the family about his whereabouts and his actions on the day of Ellen’s death, and he had lied to Ellen about his past and his intentions.
- He had a history of manipulating, as he had tried to influence the police and the media to believe that Ellen was suicidal and that he was innocent, and he had tried to persuade Ellen’s parents to drop the lawsuit and accept the suicide ruling.
However, Goldberg has always maintained his innocence and has denied any involvement in Ellen’s death. He has also been supported by his family, his friends, and his lawyer, who have argued that he was a loving and devoted partner to Ellen, and that he was a victim of a tragic and incomprehensible event. They have also pointed out that:
- He had no physical evidence linking him to the crime, such as blood, DNA, or fingerprints, and he had no injuries or scratches on his body, which would have indicated a struggle or a fight.
- He had no clear opportunity to commit the crime, as he had left the apartment around 4:45 p.m. to go to the gym, and he had returned around 6:30 p.m. to find Ellen dead, which would have given him less than two hours to kill her, clean up the scene, and lock the door.
- He had no reason to kill Ellen, as he had proposed to her and they were planning to get married, and he had shown no signs of anger, jealousy, or resentment towards her.
- He had cooperated with the police and the investigators, and he had consented to a polygraph test, which he had passed, indicating that he was telling the truth.
- He had suffered from the loss of Ellen, and he had grieved for her and honored her memory, and he had respected her family and their wishes.
The Death Update: A New Hope for Justice?
The case of Ellen Greenberg has been stalled for years, as the police and the prosecutors have refused to reopen it or consider new evidence, and the courts have dismissed the family’s lawsuit and appeals. However, in December 2021, a new development gave the family a new hope for justice, as the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office announced that it was reviewing the case for the first time in years, after receiving new evidence from the family’s attorney, Joseph Podraza.
Podraza, who has been representing the family since 2014, told Dateline that he had submitted a 40-page brief to the attorney general’s office, along with a 200-page appendix, containing new evidence that contradicts the suicide ruling and supports the homicide theory. Some of the new evidence includes:
- A report by Dr. Cyril Wecht, a renowned forensic pathologist, who concluded that Ellen’s death was a homicide, based on the number, location, and direction of the stab wounds, the absence of defensive wounds, the presence of a gash on the back of her head, and the position of the knife in her chest.
- A report by Dr. Henry Lee, a renowned forensic scientist, who concluded that the crime scene was staged, based on the blood spatter analysis, the knife orientation, the door lock mechanism, and the lack of fingerprints or DNA on the knife or the door.
- A report by Dr. Barbara Ziv, a renowned forensic psychiatrist, who concluded that Ellen was not suicidal, based on her psychological profile, her medical records, her personal and professional life, and her behavior and communication before her death.
- A report by Dr. Michael Baden, a renowned forensic pathologist, who concluded that Ellen’s death was a homicide, based on the same factors as Dr. Wecht, and who also criticized the medical examiner’s office for changing the manner of death without proper justification or explanation.
- A report by Dr. Jonathan Arden, a renowned forensic pathologist, who concluded that Ellen’s death was a homicide, based on the same factors as Dr. Wecht and Dr. Baden, and who also criticized the police and the prosecutors for ignoring the evidence and the experts, and for failing to conduct a proper investigation.
Podraza told Dateline that he hopes that the attorney general’s office will take the case seriously and will either reopen the investigation or appoint a special prosecutor to handle the case. He said that he believes that there is enough evidence to prove that Ellen was murdered, and that there is only one person who could have done it: her fiancé, Samuel Goldberg.
However, Goldberg’s lawyer, Todd Henry, told Dateline that he is confident that the attorney general’s office will not find any merit in the new evidence, and that he will continue to defend his client’s innocence. He said that he believes that the case is closed, and that there is no evidence to suggest that Goldberg had anything to do with Ellen’s death. He said that he believes that Ellen was suicidal, and that she killed herself in a moment of despair.
Documentary
Ellen Greenberg’s documentary is a one-hour special that aired on Oxygen in April 2020, as part of the series “Accident, Suicide or Murder”. The documentary examines the mysterious and controversial death of Ellen Greenberg, a 27-year-old elementary school teacher who was found stabbed 20 times in her locked apartment in Philadelphia in 2011.
The documentary features interviews with Ellen’s parents, Joshua and Sandra Greenberg, who have been fighting for more than a decade to prove that their daughter was murdered, not suicidal. The documentary also presents the opinions and findings of several renowned experts, such as forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht, forensic scientist Henry Lee, forensic psychiatrist Barbara Ziv, and others, who challenge the suicide ruling and support the homicide theory.
The documentary reveals the many inconsistencies and unanswered questions surrounding Ellen’s death, such as the number and location of the stab wounds, the position of the knife, the lock on the door, the change in the manner of death, and the role of Ellen’s fiancé, Samuel Goldberg, who was the last person to see her alive and the first person to find her dead. The documentary raises doubts about the police and the medical examiner’s investigation, and calls for a new and thorough examination of the case.
