The case of a woman whose death was ruled as a suicide despite having 20 knife wounds has been reopened following new evidence.
Ellen Greenberg, 27, was discovered on her kitchen floor with a 10-inch knife embedded in her chest in January 2011.
She had sustained 20 puncture wounds, with 10 on her midsection and another 10 on the back of her head and neck. Despite the severity of her injuries, investigators ruled her death a suicide.
Her fiancé, Sam Goldberg, reported finding Greenberg after breaking down the apartment door. He attempted CPR before emergency responders arrived.
Investigators found no signs of forced entry, and neighbors reported no disturbances.
Additionally, Greenberg had no defensive wounds, leading officials to determine that her anxiety and prescribed medication may have contributed to suicidal thoughts.
However, those close to her stated she had never expressed such thoughts.
Initially, Assistant Philadelphia Medical Examiner Marlon Osbourne classified the death as a homicide but later amended it to suicide after reviewing her medical history.
Her parents, Joshua and Sandee Greenberg, have long contested the ruling. In a previous interview with the Daily Mail, Joshua Greenberg said: "Ellen stabbing herself 20 times before dying is bulls**t. She died from a very vicious, very painful knife attack."
Their attorney, Joseph Podraza, told Fox News that key evidence - such as the weapon - was never fingerprinted and that signs of a struggle were present in the apartment.
The Greenbergs filed a lawsuit in 2019 against the Medical Examiner’s Office and Osbourne, but the case was initially dismissed by the Commonwealth Court in 2023. After an appeal, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court allowed the case to proceed.
As part of a settlement agreement, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office has agreed to revisit Greenberg’s case following Osbourne’s admission that new evidence warrants a review, per the Washington Post.
Osbourne stated: "Based on my consideration of the new information brought to my attention after leaving my position as Medical Examiner for the City of Philadelphia, along with my original autopsy findings and information considered while I was actively involved in Ellen’s case, it is my professional opinion Ellen’s manner of death should be designated as something other than suicide."
He further noted: "I am now aware that information exists which draws into question, for example, whether Ellen’s fiancé was witnessed entering the apartment before placing the 9-1-1 call on Jan. 26, 2011; whether the door was forced open as reported; whether Ellen’s body was moved by someone else inside the apartment with her at or near the time of her death; and the findings of Lindsey Emery, M.D. from her neuropathological evaluation of Ellen’s cervical segment sample."
Goldberg has consistently maintained his innocence. In a December 2024 statement to CNN, he said: "When Ellen took her own life it left me bewildered. She was a wonderful and a kind person who had everything to live for. When she died a part of me died with her."
He continued: "Unimaginably, in the years that have passed I have had to endure the unimaginable passing of my future wife and the pathetic and despicable attempts to desecrate my reputation and her privacy by creating a narrative that embraces lies, distortions and falsehoods in order to avoid the truth. Mental illness is very real and has many victims."
Ava Schwemler, spokesperson for the City of Philadelphia Law Department, confirmed to The Washington Post that an independent review of Greenberg’s autopsy file will now take place.