Investigators in Chester County said they are unable to move forward with criminal charges in the the 2011 stabbing of a Philadelphia woman whose death was initially ruled a homicide before the medical examiner switched it to suicide after police objected.
The death of Ellen Greenberg
On Jan. 26, 2011, Ellen Greenberg, 27, was found dead by her fiancé in the kitchen of her apartment on Flat Rock Road in Philadelphia. The first-grade teacher had suffered 20 stab wounds.
Philadelphia Police and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office both investigated her death. Police considered her death a suicide because her apartment door was locked from the inside and her boyfriend — who said he found her after breaking down the door — had no defensive wounds.
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Philadelphia Medical Examiner Marlon Osbourne initially ruled her death a homicide, noting the large number of stab wounds, including 10 to the back of her neck. After police publicly challenged the findings, Osbourne switched the ruling to suicide without explanation.
Over the past several years, Greenberg’s parents have sought to have the ruling changed back to homicide. The city has objected, arguing that state law "makes clear that a medical examiner can be wrong as to the manner of death yet cannot be compelled to change it.”
In 2018, the investigation was turned over to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office for review. The investigation was then turned over to Chester County detectives in August 2022 in order to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Chester County detectives first conducted a review of the Philadelphia Police and Attorney General's Office investigations. They also conducted new interviews and consulted with an independent forensic expert.
On Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office announced that they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed and the investigation was placed as inactive.
“This standard of proof—beyond a reasonable doubt—makes the criminal investigation different than other legal cases or issues that surround Ms. Greenberg’s death,” a spokesperson for the Chester County District Attorney’s Office wrote. “Because we cannot meet our burden of proof with the information and evidence presently available, we placed this investigation in an inactive status.”
The spokesperson also noted that there is no statute of limitations for criminal homicide in Pennsylvania and they are not closing the case.
Joseph Podraza, Jr., the attorney representing Greenberg’s parents, released a statement in response to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office’s decision.
“Our conviction about Ellen having been murdered does not change due to the announcement by the Chester County District Attorney’s Office. Admittedly, the investigation conducted by the Chester County District Attorney’s Office was extremely limited and constrained. The Office told us that they did not investigate the core issues which we have raised which establish Ellen was murdered, and that evidence remains unchallenged. The independent forensic expert who they said they consulted during the course of the investigation was similarly bounded by his own limited background, an undergraduate degree in entomology (the study of insects) and a masters in criminal justice, but no medical school training, nor any training in the specialty of forensic pathology, both of which are necessary in order to competently assess the evidence uncovered in this case to date.
These unfortunate limitations and constraints notwithstanding, we do appreciate the District Attorney’s professional courtesy of speaking with the family and candidly acknowledging all these limitations and constraints. We also point out that another highly experienced homicide prosecutor while employed at the Philadelphia DA’s Office conducted his own independent review of this case, thoroughly investigated all the issues surrounding Ellen’s death, and reached the opposite conclusion, that Ellen was murdered. We now look forward to an upcoming trial where a full and forthright examination of the core issues surrounding Ellen’s murder may be publicly conducted before an independent Judge and jury of our peers.”
