Ellen Rae Greenberg

Ellen Rae Greenberg (23 June 1983 - 26 January 2011) was a 27 year-old first grade teacher at Juniata Park Academy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1][2] Ellen, an only child, was born in New York City, New York to Joshua (Josh) and Sandra (Sandee) Greenberg.[3]

Ellen Greenberg
Born
Ellen Rae Greenberg

June 23, 1983
New York City, New York
DiedJanuary 26, 2011(2011-01-26) (aged 27)
Manayunk, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
OccupationTeacher

Incident

On January 26, 2011, a blizzard hit Philadelphia, prompting Ellen Greenberg to leave work and return to her Manayunk apartment, where she lived with her fiancé Samuel (Sam) Goldberg, a Gladwyne-based television producer for NBC and later Golf.com.[4][5] At approximately 6:40 p.m. that evening, Ellen was pronounced dead as a result of twenty (20) stab wounds, including ten (10) to Ellen's back and neck.[6] There were also eleven (11) bruises in various stages of resolution on Ellen's right arm, abdomen, and right leg.[7] However, despite there being no suicide note, the crime scene was treated as a suicide.[4]

Following the autopsy, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office initially ruled the case as a homicide.[8] However, the next day, the Philadelphia Police Department backtracked and stated that, "the death of Ellen Greenberg has not been ruled a homicide…Homicide investigators are considering the manner of death as suspicious at this time."[8] The case was reversed and officially ruled a suicide in February 2011.[2]

Further investigation

On March 15, 2019, the Philadelphia Inquirer released a front-page investigative report reviewing the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Ellen Greenberg.[4] Pittsburgh forensic pathologist Cyril H. Wecht, who famously challenged the single-bullet theory of the John F. Kennedy assassination, reviewed the case and determined it was "strongly suspicious of homicide" also stated, "I don't know how they wrote this off as a suicide."[4] Similarly, forensic scientist Henry Lee, who testified for the defense in the O.J. Simpson murder trial reviewed the case files and concluded, "[t]he number and types of wounds and bloodstain patterns observed are consistent with a homicide scene."[4]

One significant point of contention were the stab wounds that penetrated Ellen Greenberg's brain. Dr. Wayne K. Ross wrote that the stab wounds to the brain and spinal cord would have caused severe pain, cranial nerve dysfunction, and traumatic brain injuries.[7] The original medical report stated that neuropathologist Dr. Lucy Rorke determined there was no such wound. However, when interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Dr. Rourke revealed she did not observe Greenberg's body and confirmed she has no records (bill, invoice, or report) of the examination.[7]

In October 2019, Ellen Greenberg's parents filed a civil suit against the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office and Dr. 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 of "homicide" or "undetermined" citing new information and the fact that Dr. Osbourne admitted to changing the manner of death at the insistence of the police.[6] A new technology called photogrammetry, unavailable at the time of Ellen's death, created at 3D anatomical recreation of Ellen's wounds, demonstrating that not all 20 wounds could have been self-inflicted.[9]

Ellen Greenberg's parents scored a significant legal victory in January 2020, when the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas allowed the case to proceed past the motion to dismiss stage.[10] The trial is set to begin in 2021.[11]

Media coverage

Following the Philadelphia Inquirer investigation, the case became a sensation in the true crime community. Ellen Greenberg's story was featured in the Dr. Oz Show,[12] People Magazine,[13] 48 Hours,[7] Inside Edition,[14] the Philadelphia Inquirer, CBS Philadelphia,[15] Good Day Philadelphia (FOX29 Philly),[16] ABC Harrisburg, CBS Harrisburg, Penn Live, NBC's Oxygen network, the Daily Mail (UK), Law.com, and FreakTV (Portuguese).[17] The suspicion surrounding Greenberg's death was also the lead episode is second season of the true crime television show, "Accident, Suicide Or Murder."[18]

A number of podcasts have also detailed Greenberg's death, including the Criminology Podcast (featuring Cyril H. Wecht), Catch My Killer, Generation Why, Rachel Shannon's YouTube channel, Killer Podcast, GRWM, Late Night Crimecsat, Sideline Sleuths, and Kendall Rae's YouTube channel.

References
  1. "Manayunk teacher death ruled 'suspicious'". January 30, 2011. 6 ABC Philadelphia. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
  2. Jabali-Nash, Naimah. "Homicide or Suicide?: Conflicting Findings Arise in Stabbing Death of Pa. Teacher". January 31, 2011. www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
  3. "Ellen Rae Greenberg". January 28, 2011. Obits.Pennlive.Com. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
  4. Farr, Stephanie. "A Philly teacher's brutal stabbing has experts at odds: Was it a suicide or homicide?". Philadelphia Inquirer. March 15, 2019.
  5. "Caroline Shnay, Samuel Goldberg". January 12, 2014. The New York Times.
  6. Farr, Stephanie. "Family of teacher who died from 20 stab wounds sues Philadelphia medical examiner to have suicide ruling changed. October 16, 2019. Philadelphia Inquirer.
  7. Roppolo, Michael. "Authorities say the cause of a Philadelphia teacher's death was suicide, but her parents say it was murder." March 11, 2020. CBS 48 Hours.
  8. Scally, Bernard J. "Police consider Manayunk death 'suspicious': not homicide". February 2, 2011. Montgomery News.
  9. Sheehan, Brian. "Family hopes new lawsuit ends search for answers in daughter's mysterious death." October 18, 2019. CBS 21 Harrisburg.
  10. McKelvey, Wallace. "Parents Score Legal Victory in 9 Year Search for Answers." January 8, 2020. PennLive.
  11. "Suicide or Homicide: Mystery over Ellen Greenberg’s Death Baffles Experts." Lamb McErlane. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  12. "Was Philly Teacher Ellen Greenberg’s Death a Homicide or a Suicide?" Dr. Oz Show. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  13. Harris, Chris. "Pa. Teacher's Death Was Ruled Suicide — But Parents, Citing 20 Stab Wounds, Say She Was Murdered." October 17, 2019. People.com.
  14. "Parents Say Daughter Stabbed 20 Times Couldn't Possibly Have Taken Her Own Life." May 2, 2019. Inside Edition. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  15. Sheehan, Brian. "Suicide or Homicide: Mystery over Dauphin County woman's death baffles experts." January 31, 2020. CBS 21 Harrisburg.
  16. "Family fights to have suicide ruling changed to homicide." October 17, 2019. Fox 29 Philadelphia. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  17. Wonka, Milho. "Ellen Greenberg - o assassino invisível." March 3, 2020. FreakTV. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  18. "Accident, Suicide, or Murder Premieres Saturday, March 23rd at 7/6c." Oxygen NBC. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
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