Officials reaffirm death of teacher stabbed 20 times as a suicide

Ellen Greenberg, 27, was found dead inside her Philadelphia apartment in 2011.

She had been stabbed 20 times and was covered in bruises. At first, investigators ruled her death a homicide. But then, the case took a series of chilling twists.

More than a decade later, authorities have now reaffirmed their controversial stance — insisting Ellen’s death was a suicide, despite her family’s unwavering belief that she was murdered.

Door was locked from the inside

During a blizzard on January 26, 2011, the 27-year-old schoolteacher Ellen Greenberg was found dead inside her Philadelphia apartment with 20 stab wounds — including injuries to her neck, head, and back — and a knife lodged deep in her chest.

The gruesome discovery was made by her fiancé, Sam Goldberg, who claimed he returned from the gym to find the door locked from the inside.

Goldberg told police he tried texting and calling Ellen before asking the building’s doorman if he had a key. When told that policy forbade staff from unlocking the door, Goldberg said he went back upstairs and kicked it open himself — only to find Ellen lifeless on the kitchen floor.

According to reports, when Goldberg dialed 911, dispatchers told him to begin CPR — but he was told to stop once he realized there was a knife lodged in Ellen’s chest.

When officers arrived that night, they noted there were no signs of forced entry, no defensive injuries on Ellen, and no indication that a struggle had taken place.

At first, Assistant Medical Examiner Marlon Osbourne ruled her death a homicide, but just two weeks later, after meeting with Philadelphia police, he changed the classification to suicide, abruptly closing the criminal investigation.

Ellen’s father is furious

Officials concluded that Ellen had stabbed herself 20 times — a finding her parents, Joshua and Sandee Greenberg, have fiercely rejected. Their daughter’s body also showed 11 bruises in various stages of healing.

“Ellen stabbing herself 20 times before dying is bullst. She died from a very vicious, very painful knife attack,**” her father told The Daily Mail.

Ellen’s father, Josh Greenberg, told Dateline he believes the medical examiner changed the ruling to suicide simply to match what police investigators wanted.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the examiner had been informed that authorities were “leaning” toward suicide and were looking into any “mental issues” Ellen might have had.

Ellen’s cousin, Debbie Schwab, told Dateline that her normally “bubbly” cousin had been struggling with anxiety for several months and was taking prescribed anti-anxiety medication.

Schwab also noted that, according to the report, Ellen’s psychiatrist had written in session notes shortly before her death that “there was never any feeling of suicidal thoughts.”

Reaffirmed the stance

Since her tragic death, Ellen’s parents has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to overturn the ruling and get Ellen’s case reopened. They’ve brought in several renowned experts, including forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht and forensic neuropathologist Dr. Wayne Ross.

Both specialists concluded that Ellen’s wounds could not have been self-inflicted.

Dr. Ross even found possible signs of strangulation and said her death appeared to be staged.

Despite this, Philadelphia’s chief medical examiner, Lindsay Simon, reaffirmed on October 11, 2025, that the original determination of suicide would stand — just days before a scheduled court hearing.

”This report is an embarrassment to the City and an insult to Ellen and her family. Ellen’s family just wanted the truth. It is clear the truth will not come from Philadelphia’s law enforcement machinery. 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,” William Trask, the Greenberg’s family attorney, said.

Had plans to leave him?

Judge Linda Carpenter, overseeing the case, has previously expressed frustration with the long delay in the reexamination process.

Osbourne, the original examiner who once changed his ruling to suicide, has since signed a statement supporting his initial homicide finding — underscoring the deep divide among experts.

Ellen’s parents insist their daughter had plans to leave Goldberg that day.

“Sandee and I both believe Ellen was going to go home that day,” Joshua said.

“She had taken off the engagement ring, had packed up her makeup, which was very valuable to her, and she was planning to leave. And I think things didn’t work out well, and she never made it home.”

Sam Goldberg, who has since remarried and started a family, has continued to deny any involvement in Ellen’s death.

In a statement to CNN earlier this year, he said: “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.”

He added: “Mental illness is very real and has many victims.”