Ellen Greenberg - videohaat.com - we'll delve into a case filled with perplexing questions conflicting evidence and a gruelling decadel long family battle for what they believe is the truth in 2011 Ellen Greenberg a vibrant 27-year-old first grade teacher was found dead in her Philadelphia apartment her body bore multiple stab wounds with a knife still lodged in her chest initially her death was ruled a suicide -
tonight we'll delve into a case filled with perplexing questions conflicting evidence and
a gruelling decadel long family battle for what they believe is the truth in 2011 Ellen Greenberg
a vibrant 27-year-old first grade teacher was found dead in her Philadelphia apartment her
body bore multiple stab wounds with a knife still lodged in her chest initially her death
was ruled a suicide however this ruling was unexpectedly changed by the medical examiner
to indicate another party was responsible only to be inexplicably reverted to the original finding
or this perplexing sequence of events has sparked considerable controversy and a desperate search
for clarity from Ellen's parents who are struggling to accept that their daughter could
have died in such a tragic and unfathomable manner this deeply troubling case remains unresolved
ellen Greenberg a tragic death a multitude of unanswered questions and a battle for justice
that continues to this day ellen Ray Greenberg was the only child of Joshua Greenberg a periodontist
and Sandy Greenberg a dental hygienist the family moved from northern New Jersey to the Harrisburg
area of Pennsylvania in 1994 when Ellen was still in middle school a period of adjustment
she navigated with her characteristic resilience ellen was a bright and vibrant young woman after
graduating from high school she attended the esteemed Pennsylvania State University where
she embraced her communication studies and was known for her lively school spirit by nature
Ellen was competitive she loved playing softball and golf and always enjoyed a good football game
after graduating from Penn State Ellen decided to pursue a career in education a path that
reflected her influential personality she earned her teaching certification from Temple University
in Philadelphia and then began teaching first grade at Wanetta Park Academy an elementary
school in the city a role she reportedly cherished at 27 Ellen seemed to be thriving as she built a
life for herself in Philadelphia she lived in a sixthf floor apartment at the Venice Lofts
a converted mill building known for its modern units located in the popular Many neighborhood
she shared her apartment with her fianceé Sam Goldberg 28 a TV producer whom she had been dating
for nearly 3 years by all outward appearances and according to friends and family Sam was wellliked
and their relationship seemed stable and happy as they planned their upcoming wedding january
26th 2011 was notable for a heavy snowstorm that blanketed the Philadelphia area paralyzing much
of the city earlier that day Ellen had a normal pleasant phone conversation with her mother Sandy
in the afternoon she was texting with her friend about potentially leaving work early due to
increasingly bad weather sure enough the school day was ultimately cancelled because of a severe
snowstorm and Eene unexpectedly found herself at home around 100 p.m music fades sam Goldberg
was also at the apartment that day he later told police he left for the gym around 4:45 p.m when
Sam returned to their apartment between 5:15 and 5:30 p.m he stated he used his key to unlock the
door but found it secured from the inside with a swing lock a secondary security bolt he couldn't
get in sam said he yelled into the apartment multiple times calling Eileen's name but received
no response he then started sending a series of text messages to Eileen and his tone reportedly
became increasingly agitated as he assumed she was inside and had locked him out for some reason
why won't she let him in in his messages Sam indicated that he had emailed and called her
directly but to no avail as frustration allegedly turned to concern Sam went down
to the lobby of the apartment building to speak with Phil the 67year-old security guard on duty
however Phil informed Sam that assisting with breaking a lock went against building policy and
therefore he wouldn't help him get in finally according to Sam's account he returned to the
apartment and forced his way through the entrance alone breaking the swing bar lock
a 911 call was reported shortly thereafter at 6:33 p.m responding police officers found no immediate
signs of an intruder inside the apartment nor any indication that Ellen had attempted to
flee an attacker her body was discovered in the kitchen directly by the front door with her head
neck and shoulders resting against the corner cabinets there were reportedly no significant
spills of forensic material outside the immediate area ellen Greenberg was pronounced dead at the
scene at 6:40 Font M despite the violent nature of her death her multiple stab wounds and crucially
the absence of any suicide note initial responding officers treated the crime scene as a suicide from
the outset the apartment door was already secured by the dead bolt the security guard found dragged
and impaled on screws was evidently forced into this position by a presumed asalent Sam Goldberg
who broke in from outside sam remained at the scene and was described by the police as being
very cooperative aside from the immediate crime scene in the kitchen the apartment was noted to
be neat and orderly detectives reviewed Sam's key fob records and building security videos to
verify his timeline of leaving and returning to the apartment stating that his account matched
the available data building security videos also showed no signs of forced entry or any
unknown individuals entering or exiting the building around the time of the victim's death
furthermore a crucial factor initially determining Eileen's death as suicide was the
report indicating no defensive wounds on her body which was interpreted as a sign she didn't resist
an attacker it wasn't until the following day January 27th when medical examiner Dr
marlon Osborne conducted the autopsy that the initial suicide assessment began to be seriously
questioned at least by the medical examiner's office dr osborne identified a staggering 20 stab
wounds on Eileen's body categorized A through T in his report eight of these wounds were found in her
chest a location that under some circumstances could be consistent with self-infliction
while the sheer number of wounds was unusual what was even more concerning was that 10 of the stab
wounds were located on the back of her neck and the back of her head some of these were described
as superficial possibly hesitation wounds but others penetrated about 3 in into the tissue
at the base of her skull after weighing all the physical evidence Dr bon Osborne an experienced
medical examiner determined this was not a suicide he officially ruled the manner of death a homicide
following this police investigators returned to the Venice Loth's apartment for a more thorough
search even then however the Philadelphia Police Department reportedly refused to back
down from its initial stance to align with the medical examiner's official conclusion
they maintained that while the circumstances were certainly suspicious the compelling signs
in their view still pointed to suicide in the months leading up to her death Ellen reportedly
wasn't acting quite herself her parents Joshua and Sandy noticed a marked change in her behavior
from the joyful confident daughter they'd always known ellen became anxious and unsettled when they
asked her about it she attributed her distress primarily to work pressures at Wanetta Park
Academy she insisted everything was fine at home with Sam however a major red flag was raised for
her parents when just months before her planned wedding ellen asked if she could move back home
with them a concerned Sandy suggested she see a therapist for her anxiety which Ellen did
according to what Eileen's psychiatrist later told investigators Eileene expressed feeling
overwhelmed at work but didn't show any suicidal thoughts or ideations furthermore the psychiatrist
recalled that Eileene had nothing but good things to say about her fiance Sam Goldberg smiling when
she spoke of him and explicitly denying any verbal or physical abuse in their relationship
eileen attended three therapy sessions and was prescribed an anti-anxiety medication
clonopen as well as ambient to help her sleep it's a known though rare side effect
that both medications can lead to suicidal thoughts or behaviors in some individuals
these were the only medications found in Ellen's body when she died the homicide
sergeant overseeing the initial investigation along with other assigned detectives believed
the information they received the development only strengthened the suicide case ellen was
anxious and taking medications with potential mood altering side effects she was found in an
apartment locked from the inside they confirmed there was no evidence of a struggle and neighbors
reported to the police that apart from Sam banging on the door trying to get in no sounds
of disturbance or struggle were heard from the apartment that evening most importantly they
reported finding no DNA other than Eileen's on the knife still embedded in her chest or on its handle
investigators proposed a theory that multiple superficial marks found on her body were
hesitation marks suggesting she might have contemplated harming herself to death with a
sharp instrument additionally an examination of Eileen's laptop revealed a history of internet
searches related to methods of ending one's life these alleged searches included inquiries about
various ways to cause one's own death the means to do so and information on quick methods based
on this accumulation of factors Dr osborne's initial ruling of homicide was overturned by his
superiors in Philadelphia court ah the medical examiner's office in Alpha controversially and
inexplicably amended the official manner of death to suicide a decision many still don't understand
eileen's parents Joshua and Sandy Greenberg were absolutely devastated and completely unconvinced
they simply couldn't reconcile the official suicide ruling with the daughter they knew and
the impossibly violent nature of her death in the days leading up to her death Eileene was actively
planning her future she had sent out save the date cards for her upcoming wedding to Sam on the day
she died she had a normal pleasant conversation with her mother she was also texting her friends
there were no clear signs of acute distress or suicidal intent in any of her recent
communications the police report itself indicated that Ellen's laptop when found
was open to wedding planning websites there was even evidence in the kitchen suggesting
Ellen was in the process of cutting fruit just before her death a normal everyday activity
there was no outward indication that Ellen Greenberg a beloved teacher with a fiance and
a wedding to look forward to planned to die by suicide that day let alone in such a brutal and
agonizing manner the horrific facts just didn't make sense to the grieving Greenberg family
the fact that Ellen's computer had a Google search for painless suicide and that she was stabbed to
death and I have experts saying that this is suspected to be a homicide what am I supposed
to say expressed Joshua Greenberg conveying the family's deep disbelief and frustration
determined to uncover what they believe is the true cause of their daughter's death Joshua
and Sandy Greenberg decided to take on the investigation themselves they enlisted a team
of independent experts pathologists crime scene reconstruction specialists and legal consultants
to re-examine all the available evidence hoping to begin answering some of the deeply disturbing
questions that have plagued them the Greenbergs have retained attorney Joseph Pedzik to pursue new
angles in the case in Tetan Pedraza appointed a technical expert to re-examine Eileen's laptop and
her internet search history this expert found that the suicide related searches which were supposedly
incriminating and highlighted by the original investigation were never directly conducted
by Eileene instead they were identified as ghost searches search results that can appear in browse
history due to data analytics prefetching by browsers or other indirect software activities
without the user ever intentionally clicking on or accessing those links when Eileen's actual
direct browse history was compared with these ghost search results it became clear that she
was genuinely looking up information about her new medications specifically researching common side
effects like weight gain and drowsiness this is completely normal behavior for someone starting
new prescriptions the laptop as concluded by this expert did not reveal any obsession with
suicide contrary to what the original 2011 police investigation incorrectly determined
the Greenbergs also enlisted the expertise of Tom Brennan referred to as Tom Brian in the
source text but widely known as Brennan a highly respected retired police officer and former chief
of detectives to review the case oh Brennan meticulously examined the crime scene photos
and the medical examiner's reports he concluded that the absence of defensive wounds on Eileen's
body didn't necessarily mean her death was a suicide he proposed what's known in criminology
as a blitz attack a sudden extremely rapid and violent assault that happens so quickly
and unexpectedly that the victim has no time to react or defend themselves tom Brennan also
strongly disputed Eileen's reported position and condition crime scene photos showed Eileene with
a horizontal flow of dried blood on her cheek from the side of her nose towards her left ear
however her body was described as being bent in an upright seated position on the kitchen
cabinets when she was found the initial police investigation suggested she was standing during
the alleged self-inflicted assault and then slid to the floor brennan however
argued that this scenario doesn't explain the horizontal blood flow gravity would
have caused it to flow vertically common sense points to what expert opinions would confirm
however her body was described as being bent in an upright seated position on the
kitchen cabinets when she was found the initial police investigation suggested she was standing
during the alleged self-inflicted assault and then slid to the floor
brennan however argued that this scenario doesn't explain the horizontal blood flow gravity would
have caused it to flow vertically common sense points to what expert opinions would confirm
greenberg's team confirmed that this blood flow defied gravity this means
she either moved herself after sustaining those injuries or someone else moved her in 2017 the
Greenbergs commissioned another independent report which also addressed significant
issues regarding the medical examiner's fluctuating opinion on the manner of death
a key point of contention was the possibility of damage to Eileen's spinal cord from the
stab wounds at the back of her neck such an injury would have incapacitated her making
it impossible for her to inflict subsequent wounds especially those on her chest herself
it the final autopsy report which ultimately ruled her death a suicide contained only a
single brief line about this potentially serious injury it stated "Neuropathologist Dr lucy Roar
examined the spinal cord and concluded there was no defect however when investigators for
the Greenberg family contacted Dr roar directly years later the now retired and wellrespected
neuropathologist stated she had no record invoice report or memory indicating she
consulted on Eileen Greenberg's 2011 case while she acknowledged a slim possibility she might have
informally consulted without creating a formal record she had no recollection of it whatsoever
the final autopsy report which ultimately ruled her death a suicide contained only a single brief
line about this potentially serious injury it stated neuropathologist Dr lucy Roar examined the
spinal cord and concluded there was no defect however when investigators for the Greenberg
family contacted Dr roar directly years later the now retired and wellrespected neuropathologist
stated she had no record invoice report or memory indicating she consulted on Eene Greenberg's 2011
case while she acknowledged a slim possibility she might have informally consulted without
creating a formal record she had no recollection of it whatsoever this contradiction cast further
serious doubt on the accuracy and integrity of the original suicide ruling which appeared to
rely at least in part on this unsubstantiated claim regarding the spinal cord according to an
investigator from the original inquiry police were told that although the sheath surrounding
Eileen's spinal cord was punctured by a stab wound the cord itself was not severed it was alleged
that they were informed that as a result Eileene most likely became narcotized somehow allowing or
enabling her to stab herself repeatedly a scenario many external experts found highly improbable
the expert pathologist consulted by the Greenbergs in 2017 strongly disagreed with this assessment
eileen's injuries especially the deep stab wounds to the back of her neck that penetrated the brain
stem and spinal cord would have caused Eene severe pain cranial nerve dysfunction and signs
of traumatic brain injury this report stated these injuries weren't enabling they were incapacitating
this expert argued the Greenbergs also sought to utilize newer technologies that weren't available
at the time of the original 2011 investigation a relentless pursuit of answers an advanced process
called photoggramometry which uses images to create precise 3D models allowed their legal
team to accurately reconstruct Eileen's anatomical and physiological features from autopsy photos and
data a company called Biomax took the detailed information from Dr osborne's original autopsy
report and recreated the exact depth and angle of each of the 20 stab wounds through this highly
detailed 3D representation two extremely severe wounds to the back of Eene's head became clearly
visible the Greenberg's experts argue that it would have been nearly impossible for Eileene
to inflict these specific forces and angles upon herself especially after already sustaining other
debilitating injuries so what do Joshua and Sandy Greenberg believe actually happened to
their daughter how could she be the victim of such brutal foul play while seemingly alone in a locked
apartment the only other possibility entry to the Venice loft apartment was via the balcony but it
was on the sixth floor who on a day with a heavy snowstorm the fallen snow on the balcony was found
perfectly undisturbed ruling out entry or exit via that route the front door's swinging bolt
was forced open from the outside by Sam Goldberg theoretically proving Eileene was alone in the
apartment when he arrived however the Greenberg's team argued that numerous videos and instructions
are available online explaining how to manipulate and re-engage a swing bar lock from the outside
this suggests the locked room scenario might not be as conclusive as it initially seemed
furthermore there's reason to believe the relationship between Sam Goldberg
and Eileen Greenberg might have been less joyful and more turbulent than
she let on to her friends and family in the months leading up to her death
the medical examiner noted in the autopsy report that Eileen's body had bruises in various stages
of healing meaning some were older and some newer and there were also marks suggesting
possible strangulation these injuries were not adequately explained by the suicide ruling
there was also considerable albeit unconfirmed speculation that Sam Goldberg's family might
have been able to exert some influence over the police investigation due to their connections
sam's uncle a prominent lawyer at the time and now a judge was reportedly allowed into the
apartment to collect Eileen's belongings after the police left the scene sources though not
officially confirmed stated that on the evening of Eileen's death Sam Goldberg contacted his uncle
some might suspect he contacted an emergency number even before calling 911 according
to investigator Tom Brennan the crime scene including Eileen's computer and mobile phone
was left unsecured and the property owner and building security manager were present until the
medical examiner finally arrived the apartment was then immediately deep cleaned and Sam's
uncle was permitted to enter and take Eileen's mobile phone work laptop and personal laptop
these items were not immediately returned to Eileen's grieving family at her funeral as they
requested and expected what he did succeed in doing according to Tom Brennan was potentially
compromise the chain of evidence and contaminate crime scene items the Greenbergs haven't given up
yet however they filed a civil lawsuit based on what they allege constitutes significant
new evidence to compel the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office to officially change Eileen's
manner of death on her death certificate once again this time to undetermined or preferably back
to homicide in October 2021 the case was heard in court mostly did dr marlon Osborne the original
medical examiner who initially ruled it a homicide was fired when asked if he would agree that a
manner of death ruled as suicide would be improper or incorrect if it could be proven that one or
more of Eileen's injuries could not have been self-inflicted dr osborne was reportedly compelled
to agree the Greenbergs also retained a new medical expert whose testimony was presented in
court the city appointed neuroscientist Dr lindsay Emory who after reviewing the evidence including
microscopic slides of tissue from Eileen's deepest wounds determined that Eileene could not have been
alone when many of the stab wounds occurred she specifically noted the absence of bleeding in some
of the deepest spinal wounds which in her expert opinion indicated that Eileene was likely already
deceased or at least had no pulse at the time those particular injuries were inflicted people
who don't have a pulse Dr emory emphatically stated "Do not stab themselves repeatedly based
on these sessions and the compelling new expert testimony the judge allowed the Greenbergs lawsuit
to proceed to a non-jury trial although a trial date has not yet been set despite the family's
urgent please and mounting new evidence the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office continues
to assert that it does not possess what it deems legitimate new evidence and therefore sees no
reason to officially reopen Eileen's death as a criminal case if the Greenbergs ultimately
succeed in their civil lawsuit and the manner of death is changed a comprehensive criminal
reinvestigation could and many believe should then take place eileen's fiance Sam Goldberg
now lives in New York City and is reportedly married with young children he has consistently
maintained his innocence through his attorney and has not spoken publicly about the case in detail
elene Greenberg's tragic story is a painful reminder of the complexities that can surround
death investigations the fallibility of initial conclusions and the enduring power
of a family's love and determination in the pursuit of truth and justice for a
life tragically cut short so many questions remain thank you for joining me on my channel
this case is proof that the struggle for answers can sometimes be as arduous and
painful as the loss itself we'll continue to follow any developments until next time
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