The Enigma of Ellen Greenberg's Death

Detailed Timeline

Pre-2011:

• June 23, 1983: Ellen Rae Greenberg is born to Josh and Sandee Greenberg.

• Undated (Pre-2011): Ellen Greenberg earns a degree in communications from Penn State University and her teaching credentials from Temple University and Chestnut Hill College. She becomes a first-grade teacher at Juniata Park Academy in Philadelphia.

• Undated (Pre-2011): Ellen Greenberg enters a relationship with Samuel Goldberg and becomes engaged. They share an apartment in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia.

• Summer (3 years before 2011): Ellen and Samuel's relationship begins, described as committed.

• Weeks before January 26, 2011: Ellen Greenberg conducts web searches on her personal computer for "methods of committing suicide," "quick death," and "depression." (This is later disputed by a technology expert, attributing them to "phantom searches based on analytics" while searching side effects of medications.) She is being treated for anxiety and prescribed psych medications (Zoloft, Xanax, Alprazolam, Clonazepam, Zolpidem, and Ambien). She tells her mother she is unhappy and asks to move home. She weeps while dress shopping with a friend. She exhibits changed behaviors, frequently asking for Samuel's permission before making decisions, leading some to suspect she was in a domestic violence situation.

2011:

• January 9, 2011: Ellen Greenberg texts a family member, showing serious mental distress.

• January 12, 2011, 1:18 PM: Last outgoing call from Ellen Greenberg's cell phone before her death.

• January 17, 2011 & January 19, 2011: Ellen Greenberg has appointments with her psychiatrist, Dr. Ellen Berman.

• January 26, 2011:A blizzard hits Philadelphia, prompting Ellen Greenberg to leave work and return to her apartment.

• Samuel Goldberg leaves the apartment to go to the gym between 16:45 and 17:15.

• Samuel Goldberg returns to the apartment between 17:15 and 17:30, finding the door secured with a swing latch. He attempts to contact Ellen via text message, telephone, and email for approximately an hour but receives no response.

• Samuel Goldberg calls his uncle, James Schwartzman, before calling 911. (This detail is later disputed by Samuel's family but stated in Reddit discussions).

• 18:33: Samuel Goldberg calls 911, reporting he found Ellen dead. He claims he had to break down the door, and that the security guard (Philip Hanton) was present and corroborated his story (this is later contradicted by Hanton and video evidence). He states Ellen "stabbed herself" and "fell on a knife," and initially claims he did not see the knife or much blood until asked to perform CPR.

• Police arrive at the scene shortly after the 911 call. They initially treat the crime scene as a suicide.

• Approximately 18:40: Medics pronounce Ellen Greenberg dead.

• January 27, 2011:Dr. Marlon Osbourne performs Ellen Greenberg's autopsy, initially determining the manner of death as homicide and issuing a death certificate reflecting this finding.

• The apartment is cleaned and sanitized after police permission is given.

• James Schwartzman enters the apartment and retrieves work and personal laptops, phones, and credit cards belonging to both Samuel Goldberg and Ellen Greenberg.

• January 28, 2011: Police return to the apartment with a search warrant and request and retrieve the items taken by James Schwartzman.

• January 30, 2011: The Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office rules the case as a homicide.

• January 31, 2011: The Philadelphia Police Department differs with the homicide conclusion, stating Ellen Greenberg's death has not been ruled a homicide and is being considered "suspicious."

• February 1, 2011: News reports state the Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death a homicide.

• February 18, 2011: The Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office (specifically Dr. Marlon Osbourne) formally amends the manner of death on Ellen Greenberg's death certificate from homicide to suicide, following meetings with the Philadelphia Police and District Attorney's Offices. This change is reportedly influenced by false information provided by police regarding the door and the security guard's presence.

• April 4, 2011: Ellen Greenberg's amended death certificate is printed, listing "Suicide" as the manner of death and "Multiple Stab Wounds" as the cause of death.

2012:

• January 11, 2012: Dr. Cyril H. Wecht issues a report to Dr. Joshua Greenberg, reviewing the case records and concluding that the case is "strongly suspicious of homicide."

2016:

• August 3, 2016: Inspection date of organ tissue for further review by Dr. Wayne K. Ross.

2017:

• January 10, 2017: Dr. Wayne K. Ross, specializing in Forensic and Neuropathology, issues an opinion to Thomas P. Brennan Jr., stating evidence of a stab wound penetrating the cranial cavity and severing the cranial nerve and brain, evidence of strangulation, multiple bruises consistent with a repeated beating, and that the scene findings are indicative of a homicide.

2018:

• Undated (2018): The office of Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro takes over the case on a conflict referral from the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.

2019:

• March 8, 2019: Joe Grace, spokesperson for PA Attorney General Josh Shapiro, states that their office conducted a thorough investigation, reviewed additional evidence (including web searches and text messages), and concluded that "Suicide" is the manner of death. The investigation is closed.

• October 15, 2019: Josh and Sandee Greenberg file a complaint against Marlon Osbourne, M.D., and the Philadelphia County Medical Examiner's Office to seek a court-ordered revision of the manner of death.

• October 17, 2019: Family of Ellen Greenberg sues the Philadelphia medical examiner to change the suicide ruling.

• December 5, 2019: The case is featured on The Dr. Oz Show.

2020:

• January 7, 2020: The Honorable Paula Patrick overrules the defendants' preliminary objections in the Greenbergs' lawsuit.

• February 7, 2020: The mystery over Ellen Greenberg's death continues to baffle experts, with attorney Joseph Podraza Jr. interviewed on CBS21 News.

• March 11, 2020: CBS News reports on the ongoing controversy, with authorities stating suicide but parents claiming murder.

2021:

• October 15, 2021: The Court hears oral arguments related to the Greenbergs' lawsuit.

• Undated (2021): Dr. Lindsey Emery, a neuropathologist for the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office, states in a deposition that it appeared Greenberg had been stabbed in the back of her neck after she was dead. She later files a declaration walking back this conclusion.

• December 26, 2021: NBC News reports that Ellen's parents believe new evidence submitted to the Philadelphia Attorney General's Office will prove their daughter's death was murder.

2022:

• February 17, 2022: CBS News reports that the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office again determines Ellen Greenberg's death to be a suicide after review, and the investigation is closed.

2023:

• May 15, 2023: Pennlive.com reports that Ellen Greenberg's parents are still trying to prove her death was not a suicide.

2024:

• July 30, 2024: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is set to hear arguments over the 2011 death of Ellen Greenberg.

• August 5, 2024: The Philadelphia Inquirer provides an explanation of Governor Josh Shapiro's involvement in the Ellen Greenberg case.

• October 2, 2024: An episode of "Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary" discusses new EMT testimony and a former prosecutor's doubts about the suicide ruling.

• December 9, 2024: CNN reports on Ellen Greenberg's death, highlighting the 20 stab wounds and suicide ruling.

2025:

• February (Undated): Dr. Marlon Osbourne signs a document amending his position on the cause of Ellen Greenberg's death, stating it "should be designated as something other than suicide." This has no legal impact as he is no longer employed by the medical examiner's office.

• February 4, 2025: CNN reports on Dr. Osbourne's change of mind.

• February 5, 2025: NBC News reports that the death will be reinvestigated after the reversed suicide ruling.

Cast of Characters

• Ellen Rae Greenberg (Deceased): The 27-year-old first-grade teacher whose death on January 26, 2011, is the central subject of the sources. She died from 20 stab wounds, initially ruled a homicide and then changed to suicide. She was engaged to Samuel Goldberg and lived with him in Philadelphia. She had been seeing a psychiatrist for anxiety and depression and was on several medications.

• Samuel Goldberg: Ellen Greenberg's fiancé. He discovered her body in their apartment and called 911, reporting she had stabbed herself. His account of the events and his demeanor on the 911 call have been a point of contention and suspicion for many.

• Dr. Marlon Osbourne: The Assistant Medical Examiner for the City of Philadelphia who performed Ellen Greenberg's autopsy. He initially ruled her death a homicide but later changed it to suicide. In 2025, after leaving the Medical Examiner's office, he amended his opinion again, stating the manner of death should be something other than suicide.

• Joshua Greenberg (Dr. Joshua Greenberg, DMD): Ellen Greenberg's father. Along with Sandee, he has relentlessly pursued justice for his daughter, disputing the suicide ruling and filing a lawsuit to have the death certificate changed.

• Sandee Greenberg (Sandra Greenberg): Ellen Greenberg's mother. Along with Joshua, she has been a vocal advocate for her daughter, challenging the official suicide ruling.

• Stephen Olszewski: Investigator for the City of Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office. He is listed as the investigator on the initial investigation report (Case Number 11-00420, dated 04/15/2011).

• Dr. Ellen Berman: Ellen Greenberg's psychiatrist. She treated Ellen for anxiety and depression and prescribed her various medications. She stated that Ellen was not suicidal.

• Philip Hanton: The security guard mentioned by Samuel Goldberg in his 911 call. Goldberg claimed Hanton accompanied him to the apartment door and corroborated his story of breaking it down, but Hanton later denied this, stating he never left his station.

• James Schwartzman: Samuel Goldberg's uncle, described as a prominent judge in Pennsylvania (though later clarified to be a well-known/powerful lawyer at the time of Ellen's death, becoming a judge later). He entered the apartment the day after Ellen's death and removed items, including laptops and phones, which were later turned over to police. His early involvement and influence have raised questions.

• Dr. Cyril H. Wecht, M.D., J.D.: A noted forensic pathologist who reviewed the case at the request of Dr. Joshua Greenberg. He concluded that the case was "strongly suspicious of homicide."

• Dr. Wayne K. Ross, M.D., P.C.: A specialist in Forensic and Neuropathology who reviewed the case. He provided opinions indicating evidence of a stab wound penetrating the cranial cavity, strangulation, and multiple bruises consistent with a repeated beating, concluding that the scene findings were indicative of a homicide.

• Dr. Lindsey Emery, M.D.: A neuropathologist for the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office. She stated in a 2021 deposition that it appeared one of Ellen's neck wounds was inflicted post-mortem, though she later walked back that conclusion.

• Joe Grace: Spokesperson for Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. He released a statement in 2019 concluding that the evidence supported "Suicide" as the manner of death.

• Josh Shapiro: Pennsylvania Attorney General whose office took over the case in 2018. His office closed the investigation in 2019, reaffirming the suicide ruling.

• Joseph R. Podraza, Jr.: An attorney with Lamb McErlane PC, representing the Greenberg family in their legal efforts to change the manner of death ruling.

• Lisa A. Mundy: Toxicologist listed on Ellen Greenberg's toxicology report.

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