Fourteen years after the tragic death of Ellen Greenberg, a teacher from Philadelphia, the city’s medical examiner is set to review her case again. This decision comes after the City of Philadelphia reached a settlement with her family.
Ellen Greenberg, 27, was found dead in her apartment in 2011. Her body was discovered in the kitchen with 20 stab wounds, a knife in her chest, and a partially prepared fruit salad on the counter. At the time, a blizzard was occurring outside. Initially, the medical examiner, Dr. Marlon Osbourne, ruled her death as a homicide. However, he later changed the cause to suicide, which has been a controversial decision ever since.
Recently, Dr. Osbourne admitted that he now believes her death should not have been classified as a suicide. In legal documents, he stated that new information has come to light, which may have influenced his original decision.
Ellen’s parents, Dr. Josh and Sandee Greenberg, have fought for years to have the case properly investigated. They have accused city officials, including Osbourne and the medical examiner’s office, of covering up their daughter’s murder. Legal documents suggest there was a conspiracy to hide the true cause of Ellen’s death.
During court hearings in December, Judge Michael Erdos acknowledged that the handling of the crime scene was problematic. He found it puzzling that the death certificate still listed the cause of death as suicide, despite significant doubts about the ruling.
Ellen’s mother, Sandee Greenberg, expressed hope that justice is within reach. “We are getting closer to justice for Ellen. We are very determined and not giving up,” she said.
At the time of her death, Ellen was engaged to Sam Goldberg. They had already sent out wedding invitations. Goldberg claimed he found her body after returning home from the gym. However, forensic findings have raised more questions. Half of Ellen’s 20 stab wounds were inflicted after she had already died. Additionally, bruises on her body were in different stages of healing, suggesting she had suffered repeated abuse over time.
One of the most alarming discoveries was that the crime scene had been cleaned and sanitized before detectives arrived with a search warrant. This unusual action has fueled suspicions of a cover-up.
The Greenberg family recently received an undisclosed settlement from the city. With the case being reopened, they are hopeful that Ellen’s true cause of death will finally be acknowledged and justice will be served.
