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The Dr. Phil Podcast

Teacher's Mysterious Death: Was Ellen Greenberg Murdered?

The Dr. Phil Podcast

Dr. Phil McGraw

Mental Health, Self-improvement, Society & Culture, Education, Health & Fitness

4.4 • 13.2K Ratings

🗓️ 26 March 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On January 26th, 2011, Ellen Greenberg was found dead in her apartment with twenty stab wounds to her head, neck, and back, as well as eleven bruises in various stages of healing on her right arm, leg, and abdomen. The medical examiner initially ruled it a homicide, but after a secret meeting with police, he changed the cause of death to suicide. Ellen’s fiancé, Samuel Goldberg, alleged that he had gone down to the gym in their apartment building for 30-45 minutes and was unable to get back into their apartment. He called, texted, and yelled into the apartment before asking the building manager for help getting into the apartment, only to find out the door was latched from the inside. After an hour of this, Sam busted through the door and found Ellen’s body on the floor. He called 911, and then he moved on with his life. He’s now married with two children and is a sports TV producer. Ellen’s parents, Joshua and Sandee Greenberg, fought for justice for 14 years. Just this month of February, they settled two civil cases with the city of Philadelphia and remain devastated and angry over the mishandling of their only child’s death.

The city of Philadelphia has also agreed the current medical examiner will reopen Ellen’s case and, look at the physical and medical evidence of her cause of death and draw their own conclusion. This type of challenge to the medical examiner is unprecedented in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania- and could change state law in the future. Attorney Guy D’Andrea, who personally investigated the case for the Philadelphia DA in 2015, will discuss the huge inconsistencies in the evidence he found at the crime scene and in the autopsy. Our very own Nancy Grace, who has been following the Greenberg’s case for months and is releasing a book about Ellen’s death, will also join to dissect the case and discuss the relationship she’s built with Joshua and Sandee along the way.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Imagine receiving a call from the police and being told your young daughter is dead.

0:05.0

That's right, 20 stab wounds, 10 of them in the back and neck, and it was ruled a suicide.

0:12.0

Case closed. The good news is Nancy Grace is immersed in this case.

0:18.0

You mean to tell me she sliced her own spine and kept stabbing herself?

0:23.6

It's the most disgusting thing I've ever heard.

0:25.6

I know she was murdered.

0:27.6

Imagine receiving a call from the police

0:40.3

and being told the person you love the most,

0:43.3

your young daughter with her whole life ahead of her,

0:47.3

is dead.

0:49.3

You also find out it was a horrific and painful death,

0:55.0

20 stab wounds, including a kitchen knife lodged deep into her chest,

1:03.0

but also with wounds to the back of her head and neck.

1:09.0

Believe it or not, that horrific news was just the beginning of a 14-year nightmare

1:15.6

for the parents of 27-year-old Ellen Greenberg. The medical examiner initially ruled the beautiful

1:23.2

Philadelphia teacher's death a homicide. But then after a clandestine meeting

1:30.3

between police and the medical examiner, it was mysteriously changed to suicide.

1:38.3

That's right, 20 stab wounds, 10 of them in the back and neck,

1:45.0

and it was ruled a suicide.

1:49.0

Case closed.

1:51.0

Tonight, after more than a decade of fighting for answers,

1:55.0

the medical examiner's office has agreed to reopen Ellen's case.

...

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