After years of legal disputes, the case of Ellen Greenberg, a former schoolteacher found with 20 stab wounds in her apartment, has been reclassified as a suicide by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office. The ruling, announced following a new review, confirms that Greenberg, 27, died by self-inflicted harm despite the severity of her injuries, which included multiple wounds to her back, neck, head, and chest.
Greenberg, who taught first grade at Juniata Park Academy, was discovered dead in her locked apartment on January 26, 2011, after returning home early from work due to a snowstorm. Her fiancé, Samuel Goldberg, found her body after forcing open the door when she did not respond. Goldberg was never suspected of any involvement and was not charged.
The circumstances surrounding her death—particularly the lack of forced entry and the number of stab wounds—sparked prolonged debate. The Greenberg family has consistently contested the suicide ruling, with attorney Joseph Podraza Jr. criticizing the review as “a deeply flawed attempt to justify a predetermined conclusion.” He highlighted discrepancies, including claims that a spinal wound was inflicted during an autopsy, a theory dismissed by experts like Pennsylvania forensic neuropathologist Dr. Wayne Ross.
The case remains contentious, with questions about the circumstances of Greenberg’s death persisting despite the latest ruling.