Philadelphia medical examiner reaffirms its finding that Ellen Greenberg’s death was a suicide

Teacher Ellen Greenberg in 2011 found dead There are about 20 stab wounds and numerous bruises on the kitchen floor of his Philadelphia apartment. The city medical examiner ruled her death a suicide; this finding was rejected by the 27-year-old’s parents, who were convinced he had been murdered.

The fourteen-year search for the truth has led to multiple lawsuits, scores of headlines, an online petition with 167,000 signatures, and a new Hulu docuseries: “Death in Flat 603.” Earlier this year, the pathologist who performed the autopsy reversed his findings, saying he no longer believed Greenberg killed himself.

But on Monday, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office released a report confirming its earlier findings after reviewing evidence in the case. In a 32-page document, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Lindsay Simon concluded: “Ellen Greenberg’s manner of death can best be classified as ‘suicide’.”

Simon wrote in his report that at the time of his death on January 26, 2011, Greenberg was concerned about his work as a teacher, particularly the grades he gave his students. “He had increased energy to act on his anxious thoughts,” Simon wrote.

At least one of the multiple stab wounds on Greenberg’s body was in the back of his neck. While Simon found the pattern of the injuries was “undoubtedly unusual”, he added that “the fact remains that Ellen could have caused these injuries herself”. Simon noted that many of Greenberg’s injuries were consistent with “hesitation wounds,” meaning temporary, self-inflicted injuries that could precede a fatal wound.

Greenberg’s body was discovered by her live-in fiancé, Sam Goldberg, who called 911 and later found himself the subject of scrutiny over her death. The medical examiner determined that he and Greenberg were not in an abusive relationship and that Goldberg’s DNA was not detected on the knife that injured Greenberg.

“His self-reported timeline of events is supported by phone records, text messages, security footage, key card passes, and police interviews,” Simon wrote. He added that authorities did not find any defensive wounds on Greenberg’s body and that there were no signs of a struggle in the apartment.

Simon said he reached that conclusion after reviewing the autopsy, police documents, photographs and testimony from experts, including those hired by the Greenbergs, and the Hulu docuseries.

But an attorney for Greenberg’s parents, who filed two lawsuits against the city of Philadelphia, mocked the coroner’s new report, calling it “a deeply flawed attempt to justify a predetermined outcome.”

“By ignoring key evidence that contradicts suicide (such as extensive 3D photogrammetry that proves Ellen could not have self-inflicted all the injuries, unexplained bruises, missing security footage, an intact lock, accounts of a toxic relationship, etc.), Simon builds a flimsy case on distorted portrayals of Ellen’s mental health, which indicates that Ellen’s anxiety was under control.” supported by his sardonic distortions; This is a common situation. “It is experienced by more than 40 million Americans every day,” William Trask said in a statement.

“This report is an embarrassment to the City and an insult to Ellen and her family,” added Trask, who represents Josh and Sandee Greenberg. “Ellen’s family just wanted the truth. It’s clear that the truth will not come from Philadelphia’s law enforcement. Even though Ellen’s city has turned its back on her, we will continue to pursue other means at all costs to achieve justice for her murder.”

CNN has reached out to the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office for comment.

There was a coroner’s office We agreed in February This year to reexamine the Greenberg case as part of a settlement in Josh and Sandee Greenberg’s lawsuit against various city officials. The Greenbergs would also receive a monetary payment as part of the settlement, but Philadelphia city officials denied liability.

The Greenberg family was confronted by pathologist Dr. Thomas, who performed the 2011 autopsy and initially classified their daughter’s death as a homicide. He filed a separate lawsuit against Marlon Osbourne, then changed his decision to suicide.

That case was also settled in February, after Osbourne re-examined the evidence in the case and signed a document saying “it is my professional opinion that Ellen’s manner of death should be described as something other than suicide.”

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