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In 2011, Philadelphia teacher Ellen Greenberg, 27, was found dead in her apartment with over 20 stab wounds. Initially, authorities classified her death as a homicide, but the ruling was later changed to suicide, a decision that shocked and devastated her parents, Joshua and Sandee Greenberg, who have always believed that their daughter was murdered.
Now, in a significant development, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to hear Greenberg’s argument challenging Ellen’s manner of death ruling, according to reports from Fox News. This decision marks a critical step in the family’s long fight to remove “suicide” from Ellen’s death certificate and have the case reexamined as a potential homicide.
The Greenbergs have maintained for years that the investigation into Ellen’s death was deeply flawed. “They [judges] have blatantly said the investigation was faulty on the part of the police, on the part of the medical examiner, on the part of the district attorney,” Joshua Greenberg told CBS News earlier this year. Despite losing previous legal battles, the couple remains determined to expose what they believe is the truth about their daughter’s death.
According to CBS News, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will now consider whether “executors and administrators of an estate” can legally challenge the findings of a medical examiner on a death certificate. For the Greenbergs, this is a crucial moment in their quest for justice. “We couldn’t be happier. If we’re not going to use the word ‘justice,’ we’re going to use the words ‘undecided’ or ‘homicide’ because that’s what we believe this is — a homicide,” Joshua Greenberg recently said in response to the court’s decision. “Ellen was brutally murdered.”
Ellen Greenberg’s death in early 2011 left many questions unanswered. Her fiancé, Sam Goldberg, told investigators that he returned to their shared Philadelphia apartment only to find the swing bar lock engaged from the inside, preventing him from entering. After forcing his way in, Goldberg discovered Ellen in the kitchen, deceased, with a 10-inch knife still embedded in her chest. Ellen had sustained more than 20 stab wounds to her chest, abdomen, neck, and head. Additionally, she had a gash on her scalp.
Despite the brutality of the injuries, the manner of death was changed from homicide to suicide after investigators reportedly found only Greenberg’s DNA on the knife and her clothing. However, Joshua and Sandee Greenberg, along with their attorney, Joe Podraza, have disputed the findings. Podraza has argued that the knife was never fingerprinted and there were signs of a struggle in the apartment, facts that were allegedly overlooked during the investigation.
Additionally, Fox News reported, citing unspecified court documents, that the scene may have been cleaned before detectives arrived. As the Pennsylvania Supreme Court prepares to hear the case, the Greenbergs remain steadfast in their belief that their daughter’s death was not self-inflicted. The upcoming arguments will be crucial in determining whether the ruling on Ellen Greenberg’s death can finally be reexamined and possibly overturned.
