At CrimeCon Denver on Friday, Nancy Grace from CrimeOnline highlighted the case of Ellen Greenberg, a teacher from Pennsylvania who died after being stabbed 20 times.
Joining Grace was Joseph Scott Morgan, the host of “Body Bags” and a Distinguished Scholar of Applied Forensics at Jacksonville State University. They discussed the concerning aspects of Greenberg’s death, initially ruled a homicide and later changed to a suicide by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office.
As previously covered by CrimeOnline, Ellen Greenberg, a first-grade teacher, was discovered dead in her Manayunk apartment in 2011. Her fiancé, Sam Goldberg, stated he was at the gym while Ellen was cutting fruit in the kitchen.
He returned home to find the front door locked, with the swing lock attached to the inside side of the door.
Goldberg reportedly tried to reach Ellen multiple times via calls and texts. When there was no response and no assistance from the apartment management, he forcibly entered the apartment.
Upon entering, Goldberg found Ellen collapsed in the kitchen, with parts of her upper body and shoulders leaning against the lower cabinets.
Goldberg has not been named a suspect in the case.
The case’s forensic investigation has revealed several inconsistencies and irregularities, such as how Ellen could have inflicted a four-inch-deep stab wound to her chest after multiple self-inflicted injuries.
Ten of the stab wounds were to the back of her neck, one stab wound was to the back of her scalp, another wound was on her stomach, and eight wounds were found on her chest.
Further, Ellen was left-handed, but the knife was held with her right hand, according to the autopsy report.
“She’s not ambidextrous,” Morgan said.
A forensic examination indicated that Ellen also had two sharp force injuries that lacked bleeding, meaning the wounds could have been inflicted after her death.
Neuropathologist Lyndsey Emery, who was hired by the city of Philadelphia to evaluate Ellen’s spinal cord, told Ellen’s family attorney that Ellen had no hemorrhaging, as it strongly suggests she did not have a pulse when she was stabbed.
She concluded that at least one of the 20 stab wounds on Greenberg occurred postmortem.
“[There was] no hemorrhage,” Morgan said. “This was a post-mortem injury. This was only discovered years later, afterward.”
Grace, who co-authored the book,”What Happened to Ellen?: An American Miscarriage of Justice,” also questioned the cause of death, referencing Ellen’s behavior shortly before the stabbings.
“She filled up her car with gas…forward-thinking. When you’re suicidal, you’re not thinking about filling up your car,” Grace said.
In the days before her death, Ellen also sent out “Save the Date” cards for her upcoming wedding and made Christmas cards for her students.
Family members have said that although she was struggling with anxiety, she was not depressed or suicidal, and would not have taken her own life.
Since their daughter’s death, Dr. Josh and Sandee Greenberg have been locked in court disputes over changing the cause of death. They claimed that the medical examiner’s office hid homicide evidence.
In February, the City of Philadelphia settled two of the Greenberg couple’s lawsuits.
As part of the settlement, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office agreed to review Ellen’s initial autopsy, but so far, that has not happened.
“They spent their life savings trying to get her cleared,” Grace said. “They sold their house.”
The next hearing is scheduled October 14.
To learn more about Ellen Greenberg and the case, visit the “Justice for Ellen” Facebook page. You can also sign the “Justice for Ellen Rae Greenberg” petition on Change.org.
Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo: Ellen Greenberg/Family Handout]
