Fiancé of Teacher, Whose 2011 Stabbing Death Was Ruled a Suicide, Breaks His Silence: ‘Mental Illness Is Very Real’

Mar. 15, 2025

A photo of the late Ellen Greenberg with Sam Goldberg.Photo:Courtesy Greenberg Family

Courtesy Greenberg Family

The fiancé ofEllen Greenberg, whose 2011 death frommore than 20 stab woundswas 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 recentlyagreed to hear argumentsagainst 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, toldCNNin 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.”

A photo of Ellen Greenberg.Facebook

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

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.”

Her manner of death was initially ruled a homicide, but was changed to suicide after investigators said they onlyfound 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,” Joshuatold CBS Newsin 2023.

source: people.com