Federal prosecutors are set to reopen the heavily scrutinised investigation into the 2011 death of Philadelphia schoolteacher Ellen Greenberg, according to a new report. This development follows years of controversy over the case, which was initially ruled a homicide before being controversially classified as a suicide.
A Case Shrouded in Mystery and Controversy
Ellen Greenberg was discovered in her apartment in January 2011 by her then-fiancé, Sam Goldberg. She had sustained more than 20 stab wounds to her body, including injuries to her heart and the back of her head. A kitchen knife was reportedly found protruding from her chest. Despite the violent nature of her injuries, the official manner of death was changed from homicide to suicide, a decision that has been fiercely contested by her family and independent observers ever since.
Law enforcement sources told the Philadelphia Inquirer that federal prosecutors have recently issued subpoenas for documents related to the original investigation. The new federal probe is not primarily focused on re-examining whether Greenberg took her own life. Instead, it will centre on how multiple agencies handled the case, investigating whether any missteps by investigators could amount to criminal corruption.
A Family's Long Quest for Answers
Greenberg's parents have campaigned relentlessly for over a decade, insisting their daughter could not have inflicted such extensive wounds upon herself. Their attorney, Joe Podraza, previously labelled the medical examiner's suicide conclusion as "tripe, an embarrassment to the City, and an insult to Ellen and her family."
In response to news of the federal investigation, Podraza stated that Greenberg's parents are "ecstatic." He said, "If that is in fact correct... this is exactly what we've wanted all along. It's unfortunate it's taken more than seven years to get to this point but we are really grateful."
The case has been marked by several perplexing elements from the outset:
- The death was immediately treated as a suicide at the scene because Goldberg stated the apartment was locked from the inside.
- When investigators returned the next day, the apartment had been professionally cleaned.
- Devices belonging to Goldberg were removed by his uncle, James Schwartzman, who was then Chairman of the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board.
- A 2022 lawsuit by the family alleged the investigation was "embarrassingly botched," leading to a cover-up.
Renewed Scrutiny and Legal Admissions
The case captured national attention again in late 2023 following a Hulu documentary. The film revealed that in his 911 call, Goldberg told a dispatcher Greenberg had "fallen on a knife." In remarks to the Daily Mail, Goldberg, now a married father-of-two, called the renewed scrutiny "awful."
Despite the controversy, a re-evaluation by Philadelphia officials last year again upheld the suicide ruling. However, in a significant 2024 ruling, Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court acknowledged profound errors while dismissing a family lawsuit to alter the death certificate. The court stated it had "no choice under the law" to change the ruling but admitted being "acutely aware of the deeply flawed investigation" by the Philadelphia Police Department, the District Attorney's Office, and the Medical Examiner's Office.
A spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office has declined to confirm or deny the existence of the new investigation. The probe is expected to examine the conduct of several agencies involved in the case, potentially bringing a new chapter to a story that has haunted a family and baffled the public for over thirteen years.
