Morbid Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: Morbid
Episode: Episode Revisit: The Unexplained Death of Ellen Rae Greenberg
Hosts: Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart
Date: November 24, 2025

Overview

In this revisit episode, Ash and Alaina tackle the perplexing and controversial case of Ellen Rae Greenberg, a young Philadelphia teacher whose 2011 stabbing death remains unsolved and officially ruled a suicide—a conclusion many experts, and Ellen’s family, fervently dispute. Through gripping storytelling, medical insight, and their trademark banter, the hosts break down the bizarre forensic details, police missteps, and the ongoing fight for justice. The episode’s tone is outraged yet compassionate, with frequent moments of incredulity at the official findings.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Who Was Ellen Greenberg?

(08:13 – 11:50)

• Ellen was the only child of Sandy and Joshua Greenberg, beloved, warm, and joyful: “She had an infectious smile... you could call her if you needed someone.” – Ash (08:33)
• She went to Penn State, got a degree in Communications, and then became a beloved first-grade teacher after attending Temple University.
• Ellen had been engaged to Sam Goldberg after three years of dating. The couple seemed happy, but Ellen was reportedly stressed by work and wedding planning.

2. Ellen's Mental Health and Treatment

(11:40 – 13:13)

• Ellen experienced anxiety and trouble sleeping but “no one was, like, overly concerned in the regard that they thought she was going to harm herself.” – Ash (12:16)
• Began seeing a psychiatrist and was prescribed Klonopin and Ambien; previously on Zoloft.
• Dr. Ellen Berman, her psychiatrist, explicitly noted “not suicidal” in her file.

3. The Day of Ellen's Death

(14:31 – 16:55)

• January 26, 2011: Snowstorm, schools closing early. Ellen returned home after work, ran errands, talked to friends and her mom—an entirely unremarkable, normal day.
• Sam leaves for the gym in their building, returns to find the apartment door locked.

4. Sam Goldberg’s Actions and Discovery

(16:57 – 21:28)

• Sam could not get in due to a swing-bar lock, sent a series of testy texts (17:03), increasing in irritation:

  • "Hello"
  • "Open the door"
  • "What are you doing?"
  • "I'm getting pissed"
  • "You better have an excuse"
  • "You have no idea" (17:22)

• Eventually breaks in after getting no help from building security (who note Sam didn’t look like he’d been at the gym).

• Sam calls his uncle (connected in the legal system), his parents, then 911—an hour after trying to get in.

  “His response to (doing CPR) was, ‘Do I have to?’” – Ash (20:38)

5. Crime Scene Details

(24:19 – 27:06)

• Ellen was found upright, slumped against the kitchen cabinets, with a knife still embedded in her chest.
• She suffered approximately 20 stab wounds: to the chest, abdomen, neck, and especially the back of her head—with two wounds going directly into her brain, and no defensive wounds.
• Multiple bruises on her right side in different stages of healing.
• Hosts are appalled at the lack of logical suicide indicators and the sheer brutality:
  “What? She was stabbed in the back of her neck and head, 20 times overall…that’s interesting.” – Alaina (26:49)

6. Initial Police and Medical Examiner Response

(27:18 – 30:08)

• Police immediately leaned toward suicide, based primarily on:

  • Locked door (swing bar)
  • No signs of forced entry
  • No suicide note
  • Ellen’s history of anxiety

• Autopsy: Originally ruled homicide by the Assistant Medical Examiner:

  • “Multiple stab wounds to the chest, abdomen, back of the neck... A knife with a 12.5 cm blade is present in one chest wound at a depth of 10cm...” – Ash (32:31).
  • Changed to suicide three months later after a controversial review by Dr. Lucy Rorke.

7. Problems with the Suicide Theory

(29:59 – 37:13)

• Female suicides by stabbing are exceedingly rare, especially with this level of violence.
• No attempt to lift clothing to stab (as typically would occur).
• She was mid-preparing a fruit salad, planning for a future, and her psychiatrist believed her not suicidal.
• Autopsy revealed signs inconsistent with suicide—spinal cord pierced (later shown to be severed), angle and force of wounds improbable for self-infliction.
• “To stab someone is to… be able to sever or…puncture the spinal cord, you’re going hard and deep.” – Alaina (37:40)

8. Conflicting Expert Opinions and Mishandled Evidence

(38:13 – 43:05)

• Neuropathologist Dr. Lucy Rorke initially concluded Ellen could possibly have inflicted wounds after a non-severed cord; later, another pathologist found the cord was actually severed.

• Inconsistencies surfaced: one neuropathologist (Rorke) couldn’t even recall conducting the review.

• Crime scene photos later suggested Ellen’s body had been moved (blood flow running horizontally and lack of blood at the scene, a clean towel nearby).

  “There's no way your blood flows horizontally because of gravity...the crime scene was staged.” – Ash (47:28, 48:20)

9. Further Forensic Findings, Law Enforcement Stance, and Family’s Battle

(48:41 – 56:38)

• Blood patterns, lack of luminol testing, and missing camera footage further clouded the case.
• Nationally-renown pathologists and forensic experts, when consulted, consistently found the wound patterns and blood evidence indicated homicide, not suicide.
• Law enforcement and the Attorney General’s office continue to stand by the suicide ruling. Family advocates’ requests to reopen the investigation or at least change the cause to “undetermined” have been denied.

10. Recent Developments and Justice Efforts

(57:38 – End)

• [Photo] photogrammetry evidence newly introduced: wounds’ angles and forces needed are biomechanically incompatible with suicide (58:20).
• Family’s independent computer forensic analysis: no evidence Ellen looked up suicide methods (contradicting police claim).
• Family filed a civil suit to have “suicide” removed as the official cause; current status undetermined.
• Ongoing Change.org petition (over 27,000 signatures); planned court action by attorney Joe Pedraza.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the “suicide” ruling:
  • "It does not ever happen that the police publicly speak out about a medical examiner's findings...the assistant medical examiner did a f**king autopsy…that pretty readily looks like a homicide from the outside." – Alaina (33:19)
• On the physical impossibility of the suicide theory:
  • "Any spinal cord injury is going to incapacitate you in some way…it's just wild to me to believe she did this to herself." – Alaina (50:52)
  • "Her lungs were punctured…if you want to pull up the autopsy while I'm talking...it's bananas." – Ash (34:29)
• On the family’s struggle:
  • “All I know is my world went dark and I have no daughter.” – Ellen’s mother, Sandy (24:40)
  • “Her father said, as long as she's in your mind, she's still there. And her mother said...I have to think of her during life and the gift that she was to us.” – Ash (64:32)
• On the need for justice:
  • “Ellen Greenberg did not kill herself. That is what I know. That is fact…she was murdered.” – Alaina and Ash (64:14)
  • “This is just, like, another form of just, like, torturing them.” – Ash (65:02)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------------------|---------------| | Personal updates & intro | 02:03 – 07:45 | | Ellen Greenberg’s background | 08:00 – 11:50 | | Mental health & engagement to Sam Goldberg | 11:50 – 14:31 | | Day of death events | 14:31 – 16:55 | | Sam’s actions & 911 call | 16:57 – 21:28 | | Discovery and description of the crime scene | 24:19 – 27:06 | | Police respond & autopsy findings | 27:18 – 33:55 | | Suicide theory debunked | 29:59 – 37:13 | | Forensic experts & mishandling of evidence | 38:13 – 43:05 | | Crime scene staging & blood evidence analysis | 47:00 – 49:00 | | Law enforcement response & family’s advocacy | 54:41 – 57:38 | | New forensic evidence & efforts for justice | 57:38 – 65:02 | | Emotional reflections & episode close | 65:02 – 66:00 |

Conclusion

Ash and Alaina’s revisit of Ellen Greenberg’s unexplained death exposes a devastating mix of botched investigation, forensic anomalies, and official stonewalling. Their passionate, knowledgeable discussion makes a powerful case for reopening Ellen’s case—urging listeners to support the family's crusade for justice and sign the circulating petitions. This episode is a compelling mix of true crime rigor and heartfelt advocacy.

Action:

• Sign the Change.org petition for Ellen
• Follow the case through authorized family channels for updates

"Let the scene speak to you. Let the body speak to you." – Alaina (65:53)