A judge has slammed officials who ruled the death of a teacher found with 20 stab wounds a suicide, calling the cause of her death “baffling.”
Ellen Greenberg, 27, was found dead on the kitchen floor of her Philadelphia apartment in the middle of a snowstorm on January 26, 2011.
He had 10 stab wounds to his neck and the back of his head, and 10 to his stomach, abdomen and chest, and he still had a 10-inch knife stuck in his heart.
Philadelphia Deputy Medical Examiner Marlon Osbourne initially ruled her death a homicide, but changed it to suicide after a meeting with police and prosecutors.
Earlier this month, a judge told his parents Josh and Sandee Greenberg that the decision to change the ruling baffled him, too.
Judge Michael Erdos made the comments during a hearing as part of the parents’ ongoing lawsuit accusing officials of covering up their daughter’s death.
It was the first time his parents sat in a courtroom and listened to arguments in the case.
Erdos said: “I don’t think anyone would disagree that the crime scene should have been handled differently.” The fact that the death certificate indicates the cause of death as suicide is disconcerting.’
Ellen Greenberg, 27, was found dead on the kitchen floor of her Philadelphia apartment in the middle of a snowstorm on January 26, 2011.
Earlier this month, a judge told his parents Josh and Sandee Greenberg, seen here, that the decision to change the ruling was baffling.
fox news reported that Erdos dismissed one of the defendants in the lawsuit but gave up trying four others.
Erdos also asked the attorney representing the Greenbergs to submit briefs describing how he plans to show the jury how they “intentionally inflicted emotional distress” on the Greenbergs.
Judge Michael Erdos, seen here, made the comments during a hearing as part of the parents’ ongoing lawsuit.
The judge added: “It is a steep climb but not impossible.” You have a fighting chance.
The defendant who was dismissed was Lyndsey Emery, a former pathologist with the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office.
The others named in the lawsuit include Osbourne, former Chief Medical Examiner Sam Gulino, retired Sgt. Tim Cooney and Detective John McNamee.
As the years have passed, pathologists, crime scene experts, law enforcement officials and attorneys have expressed doubts about the suicide ruling.
The knife went through his chest and pierced his liver, severed his aorta and severed the dura mater, the membrane surrounding the spine.
Another wound was more than three inches deep, near the base of his skull, and caused a bleeding stroke.
Greenberg’s fiancé, Samuel Goldberg, called 911 and said he found her in a pool of blood after forcing his way into the apartment when she was unresponsive.
Greenberg is seen here with her then-fiancé Samuel Goldberg, who has since moved on and gotten married.
In his 911 call, Goldberg can be heard telling the operator, who had to urge him to perform CPR: “He fell on a knife.” Oh no, his knife is sticking out.” The knife is seen here.
He has spent the last decade being the target of suspicion by those convinced Greenberg was murdered.
For the past 13 years, Goldberg has always stuck to his story that he returned from the building’s gym and realized he was locked out.
Speaking for the first time recently with CNN, Goldberg said: “When Ellen took her life it left me baffled.
‘He was a wonderful, kind person who had everything to live for. When she died a part of me died with her.
‘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 encompasses lies, distortions and falsehoods to avoid the truth.
‘Mental illness is very real and has many victims. I hope and pray that you never lose someone you love like I did to a terrible illness and then be accused by ignorant and misinformed people of causing their death.’
Over the course of 22 minutes, he sent her nine messages while his fiancée lay dead on the kitchen floor.
He had 10 stab wounds to his neck and the back of his head, and 10 to his stomach, abdomen and chest with a 10-inch knife still plunged into his heart.
In order, he texted her: “Hello”, “open the door”, “what are you doing”, “I’m getting p*****”, “hello”, “you better have an excuse” , ‘what the fuck’, ‘ahhh’ and ‘you have no idea’.
Greenberg previously texted her friend Alycia Young around 3:40 p.m. and mentioned ongoing problems at her job as a teacher, which her friends said were causing her stress, a cnn The investigation was reported.
Those were the last outgoing text messages sent from his cell phone, and Goldberg’s cell phone also went silent at that time, records show.
His phone data also showed frequent and regular calling activity the day before his death, apart from a gap between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The routine of making calls continued the following morning and afternoon, but he was silent from 3:40 pm to 5:30 pm on the day of his death.
Surveillance footage showed him leaving the elevator and walking to the building’s gym at 4:50 p.m., where he told police he used the elliptical machine for half an hour.
At 5:26 p.m. he was seen walking to the concierge desk to check his mail before returning to his apartment and realizing it was closed.
Greenberg’s parents have fought for years to have the manner of death listed on the autopsy report and death certificate changed from suicide to homicide or undetermined.
This graphic shows the knife wounds Ellen suffered to her neck and chest, which pierced her brain and severed her spinal cord.
When detectives asked him why he didn’t force the door right away, he said: “I thought she was in the shower, combing her hair, or working with headphones on, or even taking a nap.’
In his 911 call, Goldberg can be heard telling the operator, who had to urge him to perform CPR: “He fell on a knife.” Oh no, his knife sticks out.
Goldberg is increasingly in the minority in his insistence that Greenberg committed suicide, especially given the number and location of his stab wounds.
Greenberg’s parents have fought for years to have his manner of death on the autopsy report and death certificate changed from suicide to homicide or undetermined.
After amassing a wealth of evidence pointing to a homicide, they sued the coroner’s office and Osborne in 2019, but were rejected by the Commonwealth Court last September.
But the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in July granted his request to consider an appeal as a “matter of statewide significance.”
Goldberg has never been charged and moved on with Caroline Fay Shnay, the daughter of wealthy real estate agents, whom he married at the Plaza in New York City on January 11, 2014, almost exactly three years after Greenberg’s death. .