Ellen Greenberg’s Death Ruled as Suicide Again by Philadelphia Medical Examiner

The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office reaffirmed its original finding that the 2011 death of Ellen Greenberg was a suicide on Monday.

The Backstory: Greenberg was a 27-year-old teacher when she was found dead with 20 stab wounds to her neck, back, and head by her fiancé, Sam Goldberg. Greenberg also had 11 bruises all over her body, in different stages of healing, and a knife protruding from her chest. Greenberg’s parents have insisted for years that they believe their daughter was murdered.

Monday’s Report: Philadelphia Chief Medical Examiner Lindsay Simon wrote in her final analysis that “while the distribution of injuries is admittedly unusual, the fact remains that Ellen would be capable of inflicting these injuries herself,” and that Greenberg was a “young woman suffering from anxiety.’ She also wrote, “The fiancé’s DNA was not detected on the knife used to inflict the injuries.” She concluded, “With all of this information considered, it is the opinion of the undersigned that the manner of Ellen Greenberg’s death is best classified as ‘suicide.’”

For Context: In 2011, now-former Philadelphia Medical Examiner Dr. Marlon Osbourne, who performed the autopsy on Greenberg, initially said the death was a homicide before changing his mind to call it a suicide. In February 2025, Osbourne said in a court filing, “It is my professional opinion Ellen's manner of death should be designated as something other than suicide,” citing information that emerged after his initial assessment as his reason. On September 29, Hulu released a three-part docuseries that questioned whether Ellen killed herself or was murdered. On Tuesday, there will be a hearing in a civil case filed by Greenberg’s parents.

Political Context: Philadelphia’s current Democratic District Attorney, Larry Krasner, represented the Greenbergs in 2012. In 2018, when he became Philadelphia’s attorney general, the Greenbergs reportedly asked Krasner if he would reopen the investigation, but he deferred it to Pennsylvania’s Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who now serves as the state’s governor. In 2019, Shapiro’s office said searches on Greenberg’s computer led it to believe Greenberg’s death was a suicide and closed the investigation.

How The Media Covered It: People (Lean Left bias) first reported the news and was prominently skeptical of the affirmed finding, writing in its subheadline that “her family and friends believe she was murdered.” Fox News (Right) also framed the finding as questionable, noting in its headline that the Greenbergs’ lawyer said the new report was “deeply flawed.” The Post Millennial (Right) and New York Post (Lean Right) both prominently wrote that Ellen had been stabbed 10 times in the back of her head and neck. CNN (Lean Left) wrote, “At least one of the many knife wounds on Greenberg’s body was to the back of her neck.”

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission.