The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office has once again ruled that Ellen Greenberg’s 2011 death was a suicide, despite longstanding controversy over the case.
Greenberg, a 27-year-old school teacher at the time, was discovered inside her Philadelphia apartment with 20 stab wounds, including injuries to her neck, head, back, and heart.
Chief Medical Examiner Lindsay Simon, in a newly issued review, concluded that Greenberg was capable of inflicting the wounds on herself and found no definitive signs of an intruder or defensive struggle. Simon also cited absence of other DNA on the knife and noted that Greenberg reportedly suffered from anxiety.
Greenberg’s parents and their legal team strongly rejected the report, calling it “deeply flawed” and criticizing claims made about wounds and procedural evaluations. They pointed to missing evidence, unexplained bruises, and the results of independent recreations as counterarguments.
The case was initially ruled a homicide but later reclassified as suicide. In 2023, an appellate court described the police investigation as “deeply flawed” while still upholding the suicide finding. Following a settlement this year, the city agreed to review the case—resulting in the latest 32-page report.
A court hearing is scheduled shortly, where the new report and its findings will be scrutinized.