Pennsylvania Supreme Court to hear arguments over 2011 death of Philadelphia teacher Ellen Greenberg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will hear arguments from the family of Ellen Greenberg, a Philadelphia educator who died in 2011 in a case her family argues was not a suicide as officially ruled.
Greenberg, a beloved teacher at Juniata Park Academy, was found dead in her Manayunk apartment in 2011 with more than 20 stab wounds. She was just 27 years old.
Greenberg's parents have fought for years to undo the official paperwork ruling Ellen's death a suicide. Lawyers for her parents have alleged the investigation was mishandled.
"We don't believe our daughter committed suicide," Ellen's father, Joshua Greenberg told Joe Holden last year.
Now a lengthy court battle will continue to the next round — Pennsylvania's highest court.
"The Pennsylvania Supreme Court only takes cases which it decides are significant enough from a social standpoint for it to consider," attorney Joe Podraza said Tuesday in an interview with WHP-TV, a CBS-affiliated station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The case was pending for about six or seven months before the attorneys were notified it was taking the case.
Justices will hear arguments on whether executors and administrators of an estate have standing to challenge a finding on a death certificate that limits someone's ability to collect victim's compensation, receive restitution through a wrongful death suit or submit a criminal complaint.
Podraza worded it like this: "Whether coroners and medical examiners have absolute power, or can they be challenged when the evidence shows they are not only mistaken, but grossly mistaken."
A neuropathologist hired by the city of Philadelphia once testified Greenberg was likely not alive when at least one of the stab wounds was inflicted, something Podraza said means it was likely inflicted after she was dead.
The neuropathologist noted there was no evidence of hemorrhage in her spinal tissue, something that Podraza has argued warrants changing the cause of death on Greenberg's death certificate from suicide to homicide or "cannot be determined," warranting further investigation.
How authorities rule on someone's death has a major impact, Podraza said.
"Compensation as a victim of a crime, you are compensated if it's a homicide rather than a suicide. For every citizen in this commonwealth, this case could potentially have a bearing at some point in their life or the lives of their family members, that's how important it is," he added.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office reviewed the case in 2019 and ruled the death a suicide, and in 2022, the office under then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro reaffirmed that ruling after again reviewing the case between December 2021 and January 2022.
More than 160,000 people signed a petition on Change.org asking for Greenberg's death certificate to be changed.
How the case has affected Greenberg's parents
The news that the case would be heard by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court was so elating that Podraza said he could hear Joshua and Sandra crying when he told them over the phone.
"The parents' lives have been turned upside down and frankly, they've been tortured over these 13 years in which the authorities have stonewalled them and done everything possible not to listen to what the parents are saying as to why their daughter did not commit suicide," Podraza said.
"It has worn both of them down," he added.
In a FaceTime call with CBS News Philadelphia on Tuesday, Joshua Greenberg said the family was very pleased.
"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," he said. "Ellen was brutally murdered."
What's next
The case will now be put on a briefing schedule and attorneys will start filing documents and making their arguments to the court, Podraza said.
The process could take over a year to play out, he added.
"There are cases where issues arise which are strange, and they should not be pushed or brushed under the rug. And they should be looked at closely because everybody deserves justice under our system," Podraza said.
Aside from the Supreme Court's involvement, the investigation now sits with the Chester County DA's Office due to conflicts in Philadelphia and with the state attorney general.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.
For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), by texting "HelpLine" to 62640, or by emailing helpline@nami.org.
