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Woman Stabbed From Behind 20 Times Died By Suicide, Officials Re-Confirm
A woman who was stabbed from behind 20 times has had her death confirmed as a suicide by authorities.
More than 14 years after the shocking death of Philadelphia teacher Ellen Greenberg sparked one of the most debated forensic controversies in the United States, officials are once again standing by the conclusion that she died by suicide.
Greenberg, 27, was found dead inside her Manayunk apartment on Jan. 26, 2011, after suffering approximately 20 stab wounds, including multiple injuries to the back of her neck and head, per CNN.
The disturbing nature of her wounds, combined with years of conflicting expert opinions and legal battles brought by her family, has kept the case in the national spotlight for more than a decade.
Now, after a new review ordered as part of a legal settlement with her parents, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office has officially reconfirmed that Greenberg’s death should remain classified as suicide.
NBC10 obtained the newly completed 32-page review on Oct. 13. In the report’s final paragraph, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Lindsey Simon concluded that: “Ellen Greenberg’s death is best classified as suicide.”
The latest ruling has reignited public debate surrounding the mysterious case, with Greenberg’s parents and their attorneys continuing to insist she was murdered.
A disturbing scene inside the apartment
Greenberg was discovered dead inside the sixth-floor apartment she shared with fiancé Samuel Goldberg at the Venice Lofts apartment complex in Philadelphia’s Manayunk neighborhood, per Crime Timelines.
According to investigative records, Greenberg had left work early that afternoon because a snowstorm had forced Philadelphia schools to close.
She spent part of the afternoon inside the apartment, grading student assignments and communicating with coworkers and friends.
At around 4:45 p.m., Goldberg left the apartment to use the building’s gym. Surveillance footage later confirmed his movements, according to investigators.
When he returned approximately 45 minutes later, he discovered the apartment’s swing-bar security latch was engaged from the inside, preventing him from entering despite having his keys.
Investigators said Goldberg repeatedly knocked on the door, called Greenberg’s phone, and sent increasingly frantic text messages while standing in the hallway outside the apartment.
Messages recovered during the investigation included texts reading: “Open the door,” “What r u doin,” “You better have an excuse,” and “What the f***.”
Neighbors later reported hearing him shouting Greenberg’s name from the hallway.
Building security personnel reportedly refused to force open the door because of building policy, though calls were placed to Greenberg’s phone from the lobby.
Investigators later determined that Goldberg also contacted relatives, including family members who were attorneys, before eventually forcing his way into the apartment around 6:30 p.m.
Inside, he discovered Greenberg sitting upright against the kitchen cabinets with a serrated kitchen knife protruding from her chest.
During the frantic 911 call that followed, Goldberg told dispatchers: “There’s a knife sticking out of her heart.”
At one point during the call, after being instructed to remove Greenberg’s clothing to begin CPR, Goldberg reportedly said: “Oh my God! She stabbed herself!”
Emergency responders arrived shortly afterward and pronounced Greenberg dead at the scene.
The initial homicide ruling was suddenly reversed
The case immediately became controversial because of the nature of Greenberg’s injuries.
Autopsy findings documented multiple stab wounds to the chest, abdomen and back of the neck. Some injuries affected major organs, while others struck the spinal area.
According to records later released in civil litigation, Greenberg suffered wounds to the back of her head and neck that many outside experts would later describe as extremely unusual for a suicide.
The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office initially ruled the death a homicide on Jan. 27, 2011.
But that classification did not last.
Weeks later, after discussions involving police investigators, prosecutors, and medical examiner officials, the manner of death was officially changed from homicide to suicide.
That reversal would become the central focus of years of legal battles and public scrutiny.
Critics questioned how a woman suffering so many stab wounds, including injuries to the back of her neck, could have inflicted them herself.
Others pointed to the lack of defensive wounds, the locked apartment door, and the absence of evidence showing another person entered or left the apartment as supporting the suicide conclusion.
The newly released 2025 review once again sided with the original suicide ruling.
Dr. Simon wrote that Greenberg had been struggling with significant anxiety at the time of her death, particularly related to her job as a teacher.
According to the report, Greenberg had become increasingly worried that the grades she needed to submit would reveal that she had previously inflated student scores. The review stated she discussed her anxiety with coworkers, friends, and Goldberg in the hours before her death.
The report also referenced prescription medications for anxiety and insomnia, along with internet searches allegedly connected to suicide methods that were recovered during the investigation.
Dr. Simon acknowledged that the ‘distribution of wounds is admittedly unusual,’ but concluded Greenberg remained physically capable of inflicting them herself. The report also described several injuries as hesitation wounds.
Family and independent experts continue to dispute findings
Despite the city’s renewed conclusion, Greenberg’s parents have continued insisting their daughter was murdered.
For years, they have funded independent forensic reviews and pursued multiple lawsuits seeking to overturn the suicide ruling.
Among the most prominent experts supporting the family was renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht, who reviewed the case in 2012 and concluded the death was ‘strongly suspicious of homicide.’
Wecht and other consultants questioned whether Greenberg could have continued stabbing herself after suffering injuries to the spinal cord and the brain stem region.
Additional experts later challenged the blood evidence, the bruising patterns, and the handling of the crime scene.
Some investigators hired by the family argued Greenberg’s body position appeared inconsistent with blood flow patterns documented in crime scene photographs. Others suggested certain injuries may have occurred after death.
The Greenberg family also criticized investigators for allowing the apartment to be cleaned before all forensic disputes were resolved.
For years, the case has fueled online discussion, documentaries and national media coverage because of the deeply polarizing questions surrounding Greenberg’s death.
Greenberg’s parents have repeatedly stated they believe officials failed their daughter.
“If the manner of death had remained homicide, this would have been investigated completely differently,” one family supporter previously said during legal proceedings.
The latest review, however, reaffirmed that investigators found no evidence another person was inside the apartment at the time of Greenberg’s death.
Dr. Simon wrote that Goldberg’s statements aligned with surveillance footage, phone records, text messages, and witness testimony. The report also stated that no foreign DNA was recovered from the knife, and investigators found no evidence that Greenberg was in an abusive relationship.
Emotional court hearing ends latest legal challenge
The newest review came after a Pennsylvania judge allowed the Greenberg family’s wrongful death claims against the city to proceed toward trial.
Earlier in 2025, the city reached an agreement with the family to conduct another formal review of the case as part of efforts to resolve ongoing litigation.
During a court hearing on Oct. 14, the medical examiner officially informed the court that the city would continue classifying Greenberg’s death as suicide.
Family attorney Joe Podraza strongly criticized the findings afterward.
“I’m not shocked by her conclusion that it is a suicide since the city has doubled down, tripled down on that over the years,” Podraza told NBC10.
“But I am very troubled by the contents of the report. As far as I’m concerned, the entire document is trite. It’s just a horrendous sabotage and attack on Ellen’s personality based on this alleged anxiety condition.”
The city declined to comment during the hearing, and requests for interviews with the medical examiner reportedly went unanswered.
At this point, it remains unclear what legal options remain for Greenberg’s parents.
But despite the latest ruling, the debate surrounding Ellen Greenberg’s death appears far from over.
More than 14 years later, the haunting mystery of how a young teacher suffered so many stab wounds inside a locked apartment still continues to divide medical experts, investigators, and the public.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the US at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
In the UK, the Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, emailing [email protected] or heading to the website to find your nearest branch.
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