The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office is set to reopen the case of Ellen Greenberg, a teacher who died in 2011 after being found with 20 stab wounds. Initially, her death was ruled a suicide, but her family has always believed she was murdered.
This decision follows a legal agreement between Greenberg’s parents and the city, as reported by various news outlets. The family had pursued legal action due to their long-standing doubts about the circumstances surrounding their daughter’s death.
A former pathologist involved in the case has since stated that he was wrong to label Greenberg’s death as a suicide. He acknowledged that new information, along with his original autopsy findings, led him to believe the manner of death should be categorized differently.
Ellen Greenberg, who was just 27 years old at the time of her death, was discovered by her fiancé, Sam Goldberg. He found her body inside their Philadelphia home, with a knife lodged in her chest and the door secured from the inside.
Although the authorities initially considered her death a homicide, they changed their ruling to suicide, claiming only Greenberg’s DNA was found on the weapon and her clothes. However, she had suffered numerous stab wounds to her chest, abdomen, head, and the back of her neck.
The family’s attorney has pointed out that the knife was never fingerprinted, and they believe evidence in the apartment suggests there was a struggle.
After the former pathologist’s statement, it was made clear that Greenberg’s parents were not seeking financial compensation, but rather a formal recognition that their daughter’s death should not be classified as suicide. They viewed this new statement as a significant and courageous step forward in their pursuit of truth, although they lament that it took so long to occur.
