Additional Coverage:
- Philadelphia teacher stabbed 23 times in shocking death reaffirmed as suicide despite family outrage (themirror.com)
Philadelphia Medical Examiner Reaffirms Suicide Ruling in Ellen Greenberg Case After Decade-Long Family Fight
PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office has once again affirmed the cause of death for 27-year-old Ellen Greenberg as suicide, a decision reached after a recent review of her 2011 case, part of a settlement agreement with her family. The ruling prolongs a more than decade-long legal battle by Greenberg’s parents to reclassify her death as either a homicide or undetermined.
Greenberg was found dead in her Manayunk apartment in January 2011 with numerous stab and incised wounds, and a knife lodged in her chest. Initially, her death was classified as a homicide, but that ruling was swiftly changed to suicide, effectively halting any criminal investigation into a potential perpetrator.
For twelve years, her parents have relentlessly pursued legal avenues, including filing a lawsuit against the city, to challenge the suicide classification. This persistence led to the second autopsy evaluation.
In a significant development earlier this year, Dr. Marlon Osbourne, the original autopsy pathologist, testified under oath that while he changed the initial ruling to suicide based on information from police, it is now his “professional opinion Ellen’s manner of death should be designated as something other than suicide.”
However, the recent independent review, conducted by Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Lindsay Simon, concluded otherwise.
In a detailed 32-page report, Dr. Simon stated that Greenberg’s death is “best classified as ‘Suicide.'”
During her review, Dr. Simon examined the initial autopsy and extensive case materials, including police interviews with Greenberg’s fiancé, Sam Goldberg, who discovered her body and called 911. The apartment had been locked from the inside at the time.
The fresh autopsy identified 23 stab and incised wounds across Greenberg’s neck, head, and front torso, an increase from the approximately 20 wounds noted in the original report. Dr.
Simon’s findings highlighted that many of these injuries “would best be categorized as hesitation wounds.” The report also specifically described one wound, number 31, as an injury Ellen “would be capable of inflicting… herself.”
The Medical Examiner’s report additionally noted that Greenberg, a teacher, had been “suffering from anxiety at the time of her death,” largely attributed to her work. This narrative is vehemently rejected by her family, who dispute any suggestion of suicidal ideation.
William Trask, attorney for the Greenberg family, sharply criticized the new review, labeling it “a deeply flawed attempt to justify a predetermined conclusion.” Trask asserted that Dr. Simon’s case relies on “distorted portrayals of Ellen’s mental health.”
Despite his strong objections, Trask conceded in an interview that he was “unsurprised” by the ruling, citing the “difficulty it’s been to get the city to cooperate throughout this process.”
“This report is an embarrassment to the City and an insult to Ellen and her family,” Trask declared in a statement. “Ellen’s family just wanted the truth. It is clear the truth will not come from Philadelphia’s law enforcement machinery.”
Trask affirmed the family’s resolve to continue their fight for justice. “Though Ellen’s city turned its back on her, we will continue through other avenues to get justice for her murder, by any means necessary.”