Crime Salad Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: 20 Stab Wounds: The Questionable ‘Suicide’ of Ellen Greenberg

Release Date: October 31, 2025
Hosts: Ashley and Ricky
Podcast: Crime Salad (BLACKCAT | Realm)

Episode Overview

Ashley and Ricky, the Crime Salad hosts, unravel the deeply unsettling case of Ellen Greenberg—a bright, much-loved Philadelphia teacher whose 2011 death was first ruled a homicide, then controversially changed to suicide. The episode investigates the impossible circumstances of her death, unpacks the fraught investigation and legal battle, and highlights the relentless fight by her parents to seek the truth. With recent developments and expert insights, the hosts challenge the plausibility of the official suicide verdict, exposing egregious investigative lapses and persistent unanswered questions.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Who Was Ellen Greenberg?

• [01:51] Ashley & Ricky provide background on Ellen, depicting her as warm, dependable, and beloved by all who knew her.
  • Ellen was the only child of Joshua and Sandy Greenberg, devoted parents.
  • She excelled academically, studied at Penn State, and switched careers to become a dedicated first-grade teacher.
  • She was "bright, kind, and endlessly patient" (Ashley, 01:51).
  • Lively personality and strong family ties noted by friends and filmmakers.

2. The Relationship with Sam Goldberg

• [05:11] Ashley reconstructs Ellen and Sam’s evolving relationship:
  • Met in 2007, engaged in 2010, moved to a Manayunk apartment.
  • Sam described as charismatic; however, friends noticed Ellen grew withdrawn, more anxious, and spent less time with them after moving in with Sam ([06:22]).
  • Ellen began experiencing marked anxiety, leading her to seek psychiatric help ([07:45]).

3. Mental Health and Worrisome Changes

• [07:45] Ashley & Ricky detail how Ellen’s mental state deteriorated in the months before her death.
  • Ellen sought psychiatric treatment, prescribed medication for anxiety and sleep issues.
  • Despite searches for "quick death" and "painless suicide" on her computer ([09:14]), her psychiatrist documented Ellen as "not suicidal" ([09:14], [09:45]).
  • Continued planning her wedding and was actively engaged with friends.

4. The Day of Ellen’s Death (January 26, 2011)

• [11:14] Ashley provides a meticulous timeline:
  • Ellen leaves work early due to a snowstorm, stops for gas, returns home.
  • Multiple calls and grades entered remotely, last text sent at 3:47pm.
  • Sam leaves for the gym at 4:45pm; Ellen is on her laptop at 4:46pm.
  • Sam finds the apartment locked from inside at 5:30pm, becomes increasingly frantic, texts Ellen multiple times ([13:50]), attempts to get help from building staff, and finally breaks in at 6:30pm, discovering Ellen’s body.

Notable Quotes

• "I'm getting pissed. You better have an excuse. You have no idea." — Sam Goldberg’s text to Ellen ([13:50]).
• (911 Call excerpts, [16:02]-[19:57]) Reflect Sam’s initial confusion and delayed mention of the knife:

  "She stabbed herself, I guess so. I don't know where she fell on it. I don't know." — Sam Goldberg ([18:14])

5. Crime Scene and Medical Response

• [24:00] Ashley & Ricky break down the immediate aftermath:
  • Ellen found with a serrated kitchen knife plunged 4 inches into her chest, in a locked apartment with no sign of forced entry.
  • Later, the autopsy reveals 20 stab wounds (10 to the back of the neck), with multiple bruises in various healing stages ([33:53]).
  • No defensive injuries, no suicide note, undisturbed snow on the balcony.

Notable Data

• "20 stab wounds in total, 10 of them in the back of her neck. That wasn't noticed at the scene. That alone stopped a lot of people in their tracks." — Ricky ([24:34])

6. Investigation, Evidence, and Early Ruling

• [24:47] Medical examiner Dr. Osborne initially rules cause of death as homicide.
• [28:55] Family and legal concerns:
  • Shortly after Ellen’s death, Sam’s lawyer relatives are granted access to the apartment before autopsy is complete. Ellen’s phone, laptop, and purse are taken—potential tampering risk.
  • A crime scene cleanup is facilitated while the investigation is still open ([29:30]).

Notable Quote

• "Why is anyone even being let into the apartment, let alone to be able to take...her personal laptop, her personal cell phone?" — Ricky ([28:55])

7. Shift to Suicide Theory

• [34:47] Forensic findings during autopsy suggest homicide:
  • Multiple deep wounds, including to scalp and neck, presence of older bruises.
  • Dr. Osborne later changes official ruling from homicide to suicide on March 7, 2011, citing computer search evidence ([44:44]).
• Police focus on Ellen’s recent internet searches, mental health reports, and lack of evidence of a third party, despite significant forensic red flags.

Notable Quote

• "It's almost unheard of for a medical examiner to reverse a ruling from homicide to suicide. The opposite happens sometimes." — Ricky ([45:41])

8. Expert Reviews and Challenges to the Official Finding

• Multiple prominent forensic experts, including Dr. Wecht and Dr. Wayne Ross, dispute the suicide ruling:
  • Highlight the physical impossibility of self-inflicting multiple deep wounds, especially to the back of one’s own head ([47:50]).
  • Dr. Ross finds evidence of strangulation and injuries too severe to allow self-infliction of subsequent wounds ([49:35]).
  • Detective Scott Eelman and Dr. Henry Lee conclude blood patterns and body position are inconsistent with suicide, suggesting body was moved ([51:27], [53:25]).
  • In 2019, Dr. Lindsey Emery finds spinal wound inflicted after death, refuting suicide theory ([54:27]).

9. Legal Battle and Ongoing Fight for Justice

• [57:29] Ashley outlines the Greenbergs’ relentless legal action:
  • In 2019, family sues the city demanding reclassification of Ellen’s death.
  • Contradictory testimony from the doorman and surveillance footage challenge Sam’s version ([58:16]).
  • Years of litigation marked by appeals, delays, and public scrutiny.
  • 2024: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court agrees to hear the case; Judge Erds calls the original suicide ruling "baffling" ([59:47]).

Notable Quotes

• "No one's definition is six months expeditious. I don't understand why this couldn't be changed to undetermined from the beginning." — Judge Carpenter ([62:18])

10. Recent Developments and Unresolved Questions

• [63:23]-[64:39] The city of Philadelphia agrees to a settlement and promises a new review, but delays persist.
• Latest medical review (Dr. Simon) affirms suicide, still refuted by Ellen’s parents and attorney.
• The Greenbergs vow to continue their fight.
  • "It's a kick in the gut and in my opinion, a decision that shows that the city is more interested in being right than being just." — Josh Greenberg ([64:39])

Notable Quotes & Moments, with Timestamps

• "How does a death that was first ruled as a homicide somehow get changed to suicide? Even after years of lawsuits, appeals, and independent experts taking a second look, the truth is still tangled in questions." — Ashley ([00:02])
• "Suicides involving sharp force are very rare, with some research saying that they account for about 2% of all suicides." — Ricky ([34:47])
• "Time is the enemy of truth. The sooner you collect evidence and talk to witnesses, the more reliable the information is. That's why police interviews happen as soon as possible. Human memory degrades so quickly." — Ashley ([46:10])
• "She was doing all the right things, taking every step to protect her peace. And yet something was still pulling her under. No one realized just how dark things were about to get." — Ashley ([09:14])
• "Dr. Wecht wrote that suicides by stabbing rarely involve multiple stab wounds and that stab wounds to the back of the head or neck are highly unlikely to be self inflicted." — Ashley ([47:50])

Important Timestamps

• [01:51] Ellen Greenberg’s early life and personality
• [07:45] Escalating anxiety and mental health context
• [11:14] The day of Ellen’s death: timeline
• [13:50] Sam Goldberg’s texts after being locked out
• [16:02]-[19:57] 911 call (Sam Goldberg discovers Ellen)
• [24:00] Initial crime scene findings
• [28:55] Suspicious handling of evidence and scene cleanup
• [33:53] Autopsy report details, shocking wounds and bruising
• [44:44] Medical examiner reverses ruling from homicide to suicide
• [47:50]-[53:25] Sequence of independent reviews, all finding homicide
• [54:27] 2019 forensic breakthrough: spinal wound inflicted postmortem
• [58:16] Doorman’s testimony contradicts Sam Goldberg’s account
• [59:47] Judge Erds criticizes original suicide ruling
• [62:18] Court's impatience with city's delays
• [64:39] Ellen's parents respond to latest setback

Case Status & Final Thoughts

Despite overwhelming forensic and circumstantial evidence refuting suicide, official Philadelphia authorities persist in upholding the suicide ruling. Ashley and Ricky emphasize the enduring trauma and tenacity of Ellen's parents—Josh and Sandy Greenberg—who sustain their fight for justice and transparency. The episode closes advocating for continued public attention and courage in questioning flawed investigations.

Where to Learn More / Follow the Case

• Justice for Ellen Facebook Page: Regularly updated by Ellen’s family
• Docu-Series: “Death in Apartment 603” (Hulu)
• Crime Salad Podcast: For continuing coverage of complex true crime cases