your like it or not questions or record yourself asking a question. please do along with where you're from, and you can see it during the show. we need your questions, send us a message or comment on or tik, tok. thank you to our panel. mark tamao, crystal bailey. we'll see you next time. break it down rock your body. now. that step. break it d i'm anna garcia right now on true crime news. a first grade teacher comes home early during a massive blizzard and ends up dead. >> oh my god, she stabbed herself. >> her fiance is desperate. 911 call as he discovers a knife protruding from her chest. but did she really plunge it into her own body? our daughter was brutally murdered. true crime news with a truly baffling case of suicide or murder. >> there were 20 wounds found. >> how could ellen greenberg

have possibly stabbed herself multiple times in the front and the back? today, her family speaks out about their fight to prove it was foul play. >> i'm like, how could you guys miss this? >> this has to be at the absolute top of injustices i've ever seen. >> thanks for joining us. it is a case that seems to have more questions than answers. 27 year old ellen greenberg found dead on her kitchen floor with 20 stab wounds. her death was ruled a suicide, but ellen's family says she was murdered and they are determined to prove it. in the shadow of a historic snowstorm, a chilling discovery. >> oh my god, ali, please. >> a horrific scene with one shocking conclusion. >> oh my god, she stabbed herself! >> but nearly 14 years after an official report of suicide

closed the case on a young woman's violent death, new experts are saying the officials got it all wrong. >> in the almost 17 years of practicing law, i've seen a lot of injustices. this has to be at the absolute top of injustices i have ever seen. >> in 2011, 27 year old philadelphia schoolteacher ellen greenberg appears to have everything going for her. >> from all accounts, people loved her, her students did. her fellow teachers enjoyed her, her parents cherished and adored her. now, some may say, well, of course they are her parents. no, no, no, this is a special love and bond that you don't see necessarily in every family. >> sandy and ellen had an extremely close relationship on the phone. absolutely most every day.

>> and in the first few weeks of 2011, one of the things they talked about most was ellen's recent engagement to the man ellen's friends described as her knight in shining armor, sam goldberg. >> he came from a very well-known family, and josh and sandy were very proud of their engagement. >> she had a vibrant life. >> but was it really just a vibrant illusion, hiding the true sorrow behind that smile? it's a question many would be left asking after the events of one very cold day in january. >> january 26th, 2011, a blizzard was bearing down on the city of philadelphia. allan's school, where she was a first grade teacher, was getting out early. >> texts between ellen and a friend from around noon that day show her excitement over the early dismissal, with ellen exclaiming thank goodness! a possible snapshot into her state of mind before everything

changed. >> we know at around 5:00 that afternoon, sam comes home. >> sam, the fiance, says, ellen was home. there was nothing out of the ordinary. and then sam decided to go to the gym. >> that's sam on building surveillance. just after leaving their apartment. >> the gym is in the same building. he only spends about a half hour there. by 526, he leaves the gym and at 527, he's back on the elevator. >> just after that is when, according to sam, he arrives back home to find the door latched from the inside. >> he yelled in, ellen, let me in! the door is locked. no response, no response. >> no response. in fact, for nearly an hour, according to text records from sam's phone.

>> sam goldberg is back in the lobby, walking around on his cell phone. by 629, he's once again back in the elevator. and here's the critical moment. at 630, he makes a call to 911. >> philadelphia fire department. >> 842 harry what's wrong? my just my i went downstairs to go work out. i came back up and the door was latched. my fiance is inside. she wasn't. she wasn't answering. so after about a half an hour, i decided to break it down. i see her now, just on the floor with blood. and she's not. she's not responding. okay, listen to me. someone's on the way. look at her chest and she flat on her back. she's on her back. okay, i can tell you what to do. okay. until they get there, i want you to keep her. oh, god. hello? yeah. hi. okay. we're going to do cpr with me over the phone until they can. i have to, right. okay. to get her flat on her back, bare her chest. okay. you want to rip her shirt off? yeah. her shirt won't come off. it's a zipper. oh, my god, she stabbed herself. she

fell on a knife. i don't know, there's a knife sticking out of her heart. oh, she stabbed herself, i guess so. i don't know where she fell on it, i don't know. okay, well, don't touch it. >> moments after that call, first responders raced to sam and ellen's apartment, where they find ellen greenberg on her kitchen floor with a knife sticking out of her chest. >> i want to say about an hour, maybe an hour and a. >> half later, they said to me, you need a homicide detective. and shortly after we were inundated with every law enforcement in the city. >> after questioning sam and examining the scene, detectives make a determination. >> investigators on the scene quickly concluded that this was a suicide. >> but depending on who you ask, there are more than a few problems with that. at least 20

to be exact. >> at the autopsy, there were 20 wounds found. a plethora of wounds were identified to the back of the neck and the head. >> it would take a kid, detective 30 minutes to look into this file and go, how was this a suicide? >> when we come back, an autopsy initially states that ellen was murdered. so why was her death ruled a suicide? >> we found evidence of strangulation. i'm like, how could you guys miss this? >> a brighter, whiter smile. >> is now easier than ever with smile actives, the daily teeth whitening breakthrough that fades away stains to brilliantly brighten your smile every time you brush. within 30 days of using smile actives daily, your teeth stay white. it is the easiest form of whitening my teeth that i have tried. i get to clean my teeth and whiten them at the very same time. it's so easy, i love it. just add smile actives to your favorite

toothpaste. our patented polei clean technology activates a powerful microfoam for 360 degree whitening action, working its way into the nooks and crannies to gently lift away stubborn stains clinically shown to brighten your teeth five shades whiter in just seven days. >> smile actives. >> has whitened. >> my teeth and i've seen a difference and i'm happy. smile actives is part of my daily routine. >> the new smile actives pro whitening gel formula has 33% greater whitening power. it's amazing that i can drink coffee, drink my wine and not have to worry about them yellowing my teeth. it's very cool. 100% of users saw whiter teeth. smile actives fades away even the most stubborn stains while remaining gentle on sensitive teeth, even working on veneers, crowns and dentures. i honestly can say that this is such a golden answer. no, no, it's a white, glimmering answer. skip the messy strips and expensive treatments. now you can easily whiten every day with smile actives. scan the code, go to smile actives.com or call to

order new smile actives pro whitening gel for just 24.95. order right now and we'll send you a second smile. actives fri. that's double the whitening power for half the price. see whiter teeth guaranteed or return it within 60 days for your money back. we'll even ship smile actives to you free. with over 1005 star reviews, it's an internet sensation. honestly, my teeth have never felt so clean. smile actives. from this to this. >> i can't. >> stop staring at how white my teeth are. >> order right now and we'll send you a second smile. actives free. so scan, click or call before it's gone. >> on the next true crime news, a single mom gunned own. >> e ryone's

on the night ellen greenberg was discovered stabbed to death on her kitchen floor, philadelphia detectives determined that she had taken her own life, but other expert opinions would cast doubt on that finding. >> the following day, an autopsy happens, and those conclusions led the pathologist to determine this was no suicide. this was a murder. >> here's that pathologist, doctor marlin osborne, confirming as much in a deposition years later, after. >> you and did an autopsy, you reached a conclusion as to what the manner of death was. is that

correct? at the time of autopsy, i did believe that i had enough information to make determination. >> the information he's referring to are the overwhelming amount of wounds found on ellen's body, 20 stab wounds in total, with several to the back of her head and neck. >> the wounds that ellen sustained, at least five of them, could have been lethal independently. >> but here's where things get confusing. after ruling homicide on ellen's death certificate, that same medical examiner reverses course. >> that would be revised to suicide, correct? it was amended for suicide? yes. all right. after you had concluded homicide, following my determination of homicide, i was then notified that they were continuing their investigation. the case was made pending until all information could be gathered and then revisited to determine the manner of death.

>> not long after that meeting, ellen's manner of death was officially listed as suicide, and ellen's parents continue fighting to change the manner of death back to homicide or to undetermined. our daughter was brutally attacked, brutally murdered. in 2015. the da's office did take a fresh look at the case, assigning former da homicide attorney guy dellandrea the task. >> so when i began to investigate this, i wanted to know how how did this go from homicide to suicide? so i call the medical examiner's office, and without skipping a beat like that, it was. i know exactly why this was switched from a homicide to a suicide. the door has the deadbolt that locks into the frame, with no possibility of lock unlocking or locking from the outside. and so if the door had to be breached from the outside and obviously no one else was in the apartment, it

had to be a suicide, as bizarre as it may sound. and i went, oh, well, that's a no brainer. i'll do a cursory review and then, you know, we'll be done. >> but guy was just getting started. >> i must be this must be the wrong photographs, because i didn't see a single deadbolt. >> instead, a flimsy swing bar latch. >> if you just go on youtube, google, or any other search engine and type in how to lock unlock this swing bar from the outside, you will see dozens, if not hundreds of videos on how to do that in less than two minutes. if that was the reason this jesús switched from a homicide to a suicide, i just debunked that in 30s. right, and then it was just excuse after excuse knew. well, this is why. that's why. this is why. that's why. >> another one of those whys was the claim that none of ellen's wounds appeared to be defensive, nor was there any sign of a struggle at the scene. >> that simplistic thinking. it drives me crazy because if this was a blitz attack, right? if 1

or 2 of the wounds that we know exist ensured she couldn't have fought back, meaning maybe she's knocked out, maybe she's passed out. point is, it's not as simplistic as she would have fought back. >> and as it turns out, that lack of a struggle might not have been so accurate anyway. >> well, the indications of a struggle come later in the autopsy itself. >> world renowned forensic pathologist doctor wayne ross was not part of the original examination, but has since studied the results extensively as part of the team helping the greenbergs find answers. >> at the autopsy, we found evidence of strangulation. the photographs itself from the autopsy show a large hemorrhage directly underneath the skin here, which is not identified in the autopsy report. so i went back and looked at the autopsy report again and again. there's nothing there. i'm like, how could you guys miss this? >> our producers did reach out to doctor osborn, the

pathologist who performed that autopsy but received no response. but then doctor ross says the mistake started long before ellen ever reached the medical examiner. >> we have three rules in our world of forensics. when we go in there, the first rule is rule out homicide, the second rule out homicide, and the third rule out homicide. so when you look at a scene like this, you see 20 stab wounds to the body of an individual. okay, maybe if they get something else that's going on here, you still always have to rule out homicide. >> ellen's family says that instead, investigators tried to prove suicide, a fact made all the more shocking after new evidence turns up that, some say proves suicide would have been a physical impossibility. >> it's quite clear. i mean, this is a homicide.

>> up next, is there evidence that can prove ellen was murdered? and i'm joined by the greenbergs attorney to find out the latest on the case. we'll be right back. >> anyone home. >> in huron? jean? more sympathy cards. your mom was well loved and so grateful to have you. i know, speaking of grateful, it's a check from your 9-2 of omaha life insurance company. mom's life insurance. my sister always looking out for her family. this check will help a lot. >> if you're age. >> 45 to 85. >> you can't be turned down for. >> up to $25,000 in life insurance from united. >> of omaha. >> policy starts at just $6.38. >> a month. >> how did she qualify with these policies? health issues don't matter. >> there's no medical exam and no health questions. policies start at just $6.38 a month. your rate is locked in for life. give your loved ones the protection they need to help pay for funeral and other final

expenses. >> i guess i'll never stop learning from my big sister. >> don't put off life insurance. call united of omaha today. >> call 807. 147973 (800) 714-7973. >> if there's a true crime you think we should know about, cal the true rime

closed captioning and other considerations for true crime news provided by. >> every parent knows. >> when it's time. >> to go into. >> protect mode. >> kill 99.9%. >> of bacteria when you add. >> lysol laundry. >> sanitizer to your laundry routine. >> with kids still at home and a full time job taking care of mom was becoming a real challenge. i was so grateful to discover visiting angels moms. visiting angel helps her shower and dress, and she keeps an eye on mom's alzheimer's. and our care

manager gives me regular updates. best of all, mom has a trusted companion who cares about her. >> visiting angels, america's choice, and. >> home care. >> we're continuing our investigation into the death of ellen greenburg, who was found stabbed to death with 20 knife wounds. philadelphia authorities closed the case, declaring her brutal and a suicide. but world renowned experts hired by ellen's family to look at the state's evidence say that makes no sense. >> there was an independent forensic pathologist who also happens to be a neuropathologist, who looked at the spinal cord at the philadelphia medical examiner's office. she pointed it out during deposition. >> the issue is, i don't think that this injury would have caused any symptoms because there's no response to it. there's no reaction. >> to it. what does that mean?

>> there's no hemorrhage. >> what you're saying is ellen would have been dead when this was administered. >> yeah. >> let me repeat that. the wound that ellen supposedly inflicted upon herself could only have been sustained. could it have been thrust into the back of her neck after she was dead? >> conclusion. >> this is a homicide. not guessing. not surmising, not an opinion. if that spinal column per the neuropathologist who actually examined it, you don't need a single other fact. you don't need a single other piece of evidence. unless someone can say that those two are wrong. this is unequivocally 100% a homicide. >> in november of 2024, the chester county district attorney's office officially declared the case inactive, stating they are unable to move forward with criminal charges. true crime news reached out to

the philadelphia da and police, as well as the chester county da, but all declined to comment. as for ellen's fiance, sam, we also attempted to contact him as well as his attorneys, but have not received a response. >> what it would mean to have this changed from suicide to undetermined to homicide, as it should be? there's not words to describe what that will do for the greenbergs. it doesn't bring ellen back, but it proves to them that there is some sense of justice in all of this horrific mess that they have been through. >> joining me now on true crime news is attorney joe pedraza, who represents ellen greenberg's parents, doctor josh and sandy greenberg. >> and we don't really understand why doctor osborn performs an autopsy. he looks at it and says, this is a homicide. within 72 hours, that decision will be changed back from

homicide to suicide. well, what we found out is the police provided false information to the medical examiner's office that convinced or made the office satisfied that they could change it to a suicide. >> so where are you all these years later? because it's still ruled a suicide. are you trying to change the designation of her death from suicide to undetermined to homicide? what, are you trying to get. >> anything but suicide? because once you're a suicide, that's not a crime. there is no investigation. and there's nothing further that we can really do without putting ourselves at risk of liability. we are in the pennsylvania supreme court at this point over whether the family can continue a lawsuit to try to change that death certificate. nobody's ever gotten this far with this dispute. >> even if you are successful in

changing the manner of death to homicide, with almost all of the evidence gone, destroyed, never preserved. how could you possibly ever then find her killer? >> that's something i can't share with you. but believe me, if we could change that death certificate, whether the authorities go forward with bringing some person or persons to justice, or we do. it's going to happen one way or the other. our only obstacle is this death certificate right now. change it, and i think you'll see some action. >> thank you so much, joe. i really appreciate it. >> my pleasure. >> i told myself i was okay with my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. >> with my. >> psoriatic arthritis symptoms, but just okay. >> isn't okay. >> and i was done settling. >> if you still have symptoms after trying a tnf blocker like humira or enbrel, rinvoq works differently. rinvoq is a once

daily pill that can rapidly relieve joint pain, stiffness, and swelling as fast as two weeks for some, and even at the three year mark, many people felt this relief. rinvoq can stop joint damage and in psa can leave skin clear or almost clear. >> rinvoq can lower ability to fight infections before treatment, test for tb and do bloodwork. serious infections, blood clots, some fatal cancers including lymphoma and skin. serious allergic reactions, gi tears, death, heart attack and stroke occurred. cv event risk increases in age 50 plus with a heart disease risk factor. tell your doctor if you've had these events. infection hep b or c smoked are pregnant or planning. don't take if allergic or have an infecti . >> done settling.

>> on the next true crime news. single mom of three is gunned down at her dream job. who would want her dead? >> everyone's a suspect. >> the startling images. surveillance video captured of a man. and it's the last person

you think would be a killer. >> sometimes it's just hard to break. >> this really happened. until his violent past is exposed. >> the son feel a mother and her two children. >> now, the manhunt to catch him before he strikes again on the next true crime news. there are some late breaking developments since we produced this story. the former philadelphia medical examiner, doctor osborne, in a sworn affidavit, stated that after getting new information, he has changed his professional opinion and states that the death certificate should be designated something other than suicide. and then this week, in a dramatic development, the greenberg family settled a civil lawsuit against the city of philadelphia for an undisclosed amount. as part of the settlement, the philadelphia medical examiner says it will take a new look at ellen's manner of death. the death certificate would need to be formally changed in order for the philadelphia police to re-investigate ellen's death as

a crime. just this morning, the greenberg family told us, in part, more than anything, that vindication is most meaningful. we can turn our full attention to bringing justice to the murderer or murderers responsible for ellen's tragic death. that's it for today's true crime news, i'm anna garcia. see you next time, ev (suspenseful music) - [nancy] a beloved real estate agent kidnapped on the job. - all of us realized mom had been taken. (suspenseful music) - [nancy] and a cryptic text message only heightened the mystery. - this relief really just turned to complete horror. (suspenseful music) - did you think you could find her in enough time to save her life? - you gotta tell yourself, you know, she's still alive, and you do everything you can. (suspenseful music) - [radio dispatcher] (indistinct)