The parents of a Philadelphia teacher who was found dead in 2011 with 20 stab wounds from an apparent suicide have won the right to challenge his conviction and have it changed to murder, according to reports.
The family of Ellen Greenberg has been fighting for more than a decade to overturn the city’s ruling in the death of the teacher, whose body was discovered in her Philadelphia apartment during a blizzard on Jan. 26, 2011, with multiple stab wounds, including 10 to the back of the head and neck.
But last week, Greenberg’s parents, Joshua and Sandy, reportedly were finally able to break ground after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court granted their appeal. WHP TV.
“The Pennsylvania Supreme Court only hears cases that it believes merit consideration from a societal perspective,” Joe Podraza, an attorney for the Greenberg family, told the outlet on Tuesday.
Police investigating Greenberg’s death in 2011 initially suspected the 27-year-old teacher had committed suicide, based on no evidence of forced entry or defensive wounds and no DNA found on Greenberg’s body that did not belong to her.
Coroner Marlon Osborne ruled the first-grade teacher’s death a homicide, but then reversed course more than a month later and ruled it a suicide.
Greenberg’s family hired a team of experts after her death, who noted that a knife found in her apartment had been turned upside down, suggesting she may have been involved in a struggle, and that a cut to the back of her head may have rendered her unconscious and unable to defend herself.
Podraza had previously argued that evidence showed at least two of the 20 stab wounds were inflicted after Greenberg’s heart had already stopped.
The couple filed a lawsuit against the coroner’s office and Osborne in 2019, but an appeals division upheld the verdict in her death last September.
“It’s ridiculous that Ellen stabbed herself 20 times before she died,” said Joshua Greenberg, the young teacher’s father. Daily Mail Sunday. “She died in a very brutal, very painful knife attack.”
Despite last year’s ruling, the justices found the Philadelphia police, district attorney and medical examiner’s office conducted “seriously flawed investigations” into Greenberg.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will now address the important issue of whether executors and estate administrators should have the legal authority to challenge the contents of a death certificate.
The findings could have significant implications on an individual’s ability to seek victim compensation, receive damages in a wrongful death lawsuit, or pursue criminal charges.
Podraza said the argument would allow the court to consider “whether coroners and medical examiners have absolute power or whether they can be challenged when the evidence shows they are not only wrong but seriously wrong.”
“For every citizen of this state, this case has the potential to impact their lives and the lives of their families,” the lawyer said. WHP TV.
Podraza said he, like his client, is 100 percent certain Greenberg did not commit suicide.
“It’s psychologically proven that not all of the wounds were inflicted by Ellen,” he told the media.
The case is now scheduled for argument, with lawyers set to begin filing documents and arguments.
However, this process could take more than a year to complete.
“There are cases where strange issues arise, but they should not be pushed aside or swept under the rug. They should be investigated thoroughly because everyone has a right to justice under our system,” Podraza said.
“All I want is for justice to finally be served.”
Apart from the new developments resulting from the Supreme Court’s involvement, the investigation has been transferred to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office due to a standoff between Philadelphia and the state attorney general.
Her family has filed a separate civil lawsuit alleging that her death was covered up.
“I don’t know what they’re hiding,” Joshua Greenberg said. “Are they hiding police deficiencies and mistakes? Are they hiding other personalities and people?” Daily Mail.
“I don’t know, but this is a cover-up. There’s a mistake somewhere. A huge, huge mistake.”
