The protracted quest for truth in the puzzling death of Ellen Greenberg has taken center stage in a Philadelphia courtroom, where her parents' attorneys argue that city officials are masking a botched investigation as a suicide, as reported by PennLive. On a stormy January night in 2011, Greenberg was found dead by her fiancé, Sam Goldberg, in their Manayunk apartment, her body bearing 20 stab wounds and a knife embedded in her chest, initiating an inquiry that spiraled into controversy and confusion.
While the initial police response treated Greenberg's demise as self-inflicted, Philadelphia Medical Examiner Dr. Marlon Osbourne's autopsy findings contradicted this, labeling the death a homicide only for the classification to be inexplicably reversed months later to a suicide, fueling allegations of a cover-up. During Wednesday's court proceedings, attorney Joe Podraza laid bare a series of actions by officials that he argues point to an intentional concealment of homicide – critical evidence was either lost or disregarded, and an initial homicide ruling was later reversed under questionable circumstances. The lawyers for the defendants, some of whom no longer work for the city, pushed back, citing immunity and statute limitations, and maintained that the high threshold for intentional infliction of emotional distress had not been met.
The Greenbergs have presented steadfastly in their pursuit of justice and an accurate account of their daughter's death, as they contend in their ongoing civil lawsuit against the city. They seek to have the manner of death ruling on Ellen's certificate changed from suicide to homicide, a battle that has reached the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and has drawn on for years. "I feel like we're advocating for her," Sandee Greenberg conveyed her determination for resolution in an intimate disclosure to NBC10, standing before the courthouse and the world.
Despite a recent investigative review by Chester County detectives and consultation with an independent forensic expert, as detailed by CBS News Philadelphia, the convoluted history of Ellen Greenberg's case remains unsolved, with officials maintaining their stance against the allegations of a conspiracy defense attorneys countered during the hearing that their clients are shielded by immunity and explained there's no evidence of a conspiracy the city has noted, citing prevailing law that a medical examiner's manner of death ruling, even if disputed, cannot be casually altered. A decision regarding the Greenbergs' lawsuit is expected by the end of January.
