Officials reaffirm death of teacher stabbed 20 times as a suicide – family has furious answer

On a snowy night in January 2011, 27-year-old schoolteacher Ellen Greenberg was found dead in her Philadelphia apartment. She had been stabbed 20 times — in the neck, chest, and back — with a kitchen knife still lodged in her heart.

At first, investigators called it a homicide. But within weeks, that ruling changed. Police suddenly declared the death a suicide — a conclusion that Ellen’s family has fought for over a decade, and which the city has once again reaffirmed in 2025.

The family calls it a cover-up. Officials call it closed.

A Locked Door and Too Many Questions

January 26, 2011. A blizzard had buried the city in snow. Ellen’s fiancé, Sam Goldberg, told police he’d gone to the gym, leaving Ellen alone in their sixth-floor apartment. When he returned, he said, the door was locked from the inside.

He claimed he texted her, called her, and eventually went downstairs to ask the building’s security guard to unlock the door. When told it was against policy, Goldberg said he went back upstairs and kicked it open.

Inside, he found Ellen on the kitchen floor, her body covered in stab wounds. A knife protruded from her chest. She was already dead.

Goldberg dialed 911, but the dispatcher instructed him to stop CPR when he realized there was a knife embedded in her heart.

When police arrived, they noted there was no sign of forced entry, no defensive wounds, and no evidence of a struggle.

At first, Assistant Medical Examiner Dr. Marlon Osbourne ruled the case a homicide. But just two weeks later, after meetings with Philadelphia police, the ruling was changed to suicide. The homicide investigation was abruptly closed.

“It’s Bull—t”: The Family’s Fight Begins

To Ellen’s parents, Joshua and Sandee Greenberg, the suicide claim was impossible. Their daughter had 20 stab wounds, including 10 to the back of her neck and head. Eleven bruises in different stages of healing marked her body.

“Ellen stabbing herself 20 times before dying is bull—t,” Joshua told The Daily Mail. “She was attacked. It was vicious and painful. Someone killed her.”

The medical examiner’s shift from homicide to suicide, they said, made no logical sense. And evidence seemed to support them.

Ellen’s psychiatrist, according to session notes reviewed by Dateline, had documented that while Ellen was struggling with anxiety, she never expressed suicidal thoughts. She was engaged, employed, and had plans — including, according to her family, to end her engagement with Goldberg that very day.

“She had packed her makeup and taken off her engagement ring,” Joshua said. “She was planning to leave. But she never made it home.”

Experts Say the Evidence Doesn’t Add Up

Determined to uncover the truth, the Greenbergs spent hundreds of thousands of dollars hiring independent experts.

Among them was renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht, who concluded that Ellen’s injuries could not have been self-inflicted. Another expert, Dr. Wayne Ross, a forensic neuropathologist, went further — finding possible signs of strangulation and suggesting the crime scene may have been staged.

Dr. Ross’s report described the pattern of wounds as inconsistent with a suicide attempt, particularly the deep stab wounds to the back of Ellen’s head and neck — areas nearly impossible for a person to repeatedly strike with such force.

Despite this, the city stood by its conclusion.

On October 11, 2025, more than 14 years after Ellen’s death, Philadelphia’s current Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Lindsay Simon, formally reaffirmed the suicide ruling — just days before a scheduled court hearing to review the evidence.

Family Outrage: “This Report Is an Embarrassment”

The Greenberg family’s attorney, William Trask, condemned the decision in a scathing statement.

“This report is an embarrassment to the city and an insult to Ellen and her family,” he said. “They wanted the truth, and the truth will not come from Philadelphia’s law enforcement machinery. The family will continue through other avenues to seek justice — by any means necessary.”

Judge Linda Carpenter, who has presided over parts of the case, previously expressed frustration at the city’s slow and inconsistent handling of the investigation, calling the years-long delays “unacceptable.”

Adding to the controversy, Dr. Osbourne — the original examiner who first ruled Ellen’s death a homicide before reversing his finding — later signed an affidavit stating that his initial assessment of homicide was correct.

The contradiction between experts, reports, and rulings has left the case in a strange limbo — officially closed, yet widely doubted.

The Man at the Center

Sam Goldberg, Ellen’s fiancé, was never charged or officially named a suspect. He has since remarried and started a family.

In statements to the press, Goldberg has maintained his innocence and expressed anger over what he calls “vile attempts” to paint him as responsible.

“The attempts to desecrate my reputation and Ellen’s memory are pathetic,” he told CNN. “People are creating a narrative of lies and distortions to avoid the truth. Mental illness is real and has many victims.”

Ellen’s family, however, remains unconvinced that mental illness explains what happened that night.

A City Under Scrutiny

The handling of the Greenberg case has drawn growing criticism — from forensic experts, journalists, and even former law enforcement officials. Many point to what they see as clear procedural failures: a lack of blood spatter analysis, incomplete autopsy documentation, and the quick reversal of the homicide ruling after meetings with police.

For the Greenbergs, the pain goes beyond bureaucratic frustration.

“We’ve been fighting this for 14 years,” Joshua said. “Our daughter’s death has been treated like an inconvenience. They keep trying to close the book, but it’s not over. Not until the truth is told.”

The Case That Still Haunts Philadelphia

What makes the Ellen Greenberg case so haunting isn’t just the violence of her death — it’s the unrelenting uncertainty that surrounds it.

A locked apartment. A knife embedded in her chest. Twenty stab wounds, including ten to her back. No defensive injuries. No forced entry. No clear motive.

Every piece of evidence raises more questions than answers.

Was it suicide, as authorities insist — or was it a murder disguised to look that way?

More than a decade later, Philadelphia’s official position remains unchanged. But Ellen’s parents continue to fight — not for revenge, they say, but for truth.

“Ellen deserves justice,” her father said quietly. “And we’ll never stop until she gets it.”