The fiancé of Ellen Greenberg, whose 2011 death from more than 20 stab wounds was ruled a suicide, is speaking out for the first time.
Ellen’s parents — Joshua Greenberg and Sandee Greenberg — have been petitioning the court for years to take another look at their daughter’s case, because they believe that her death was the result of a homicide and that the investigation was mishandled. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently agreed to hear arguments against the ruling.
However, Ellen’s fiancé, Sam Goldberg, who found her deceased in the kitchen of their shared apartment after telling investigators that he initially found the door locked, told CNN in an e-mail statement that he believes that her death was a result of “mental illness.”
“When Ellen took her own life it left me bewildered,” Sam told the outlet. “She was a wonderful and a kind person who had everything to live for. When she died a part of me died with her.”
“Unimaginably, in the years that have passed I have had to endure the unimaginable passing of my future wife and the pathetic and despicable attempts to desecrate my reputation and her privacy by creating a narrative that embraces lies, distortions and falsehoods in order to avoid the truth,” he continued. “Mental illness is very real and has many victims.”
“I hope and pray that you never lose someone you love like I did to a terrible disease and then be accused by ignorant and misinformed people of causing her death. If you’re really writing a truthful story, dig deeper, and please do some good by raising awareness for mental health,” Sam concluded.
The Chester County District Attorney’s office announced in 2022 that it would review the case, and in September 2024, it was reported that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed to hear Ellen’s parents’ argument over her manner of death.
According to CBS News, the arguments that will be presented to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will determine if “executors and administrators of an estate” can challenge a medical examiner’s findings on a death certificate.
“We couldn’t be happier. If we’re not going to use the word ‘justice,’ we’re going to use the words ‘undecided’ or ‘homicide’ because that’s what we believe this is — a homicide,” Joshua told CBS about the decision. “Ellen was brutally murdered.”
Investigators said Ellen suffered more than 20 stab wounds and a 10-inch knife was still in her chest at the time her body was discovered, according to the investigation report, which was previously reviewed by PEOPLE. She had stab wounds to her chest, abdomen, head and back of her neck, as well as a gash on her scalp.
Her manner of death was initially ruled a homicide, but was changed to suicide after investigators said they only found Ellen’s DNA on the knife and clothing. They also claimed at the time that there were no signs of foul play, and no one has ever been charged.
However, Joshua and Sandee’s lawyer, Joe Podraza, claimed to Fox News that the knife was never fingerprinted and that there were, in fact, signs of a struggle in the apartment.
The outlet also cited unspecified court documents noting that the scene was also cleaned before detectives came to investigate.
“They [judges] have blatantly said the investigation was faulty on the part of the police, on the part of the medical examiner, on the part of the district attorney,” Joshua told CBS News in 2023.
