Ellen Greenberg // 170 // Part 1 // Mysterious death

Transcript

27-year-old Ellen Rae Greenberg was a teacher to her first-grade students at Juniata (Jew-nee-odd-a) Park Academy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Penn State as a communications major, and considered becoming a speech pathologist, but decided to take a different path and went to Temple University at night to earn her teaching credentials. On the morning of January 26th, 2011, Ellen spoke to her mom at 7 AM and the two of them had a pleasant conversation, her mom said there was no indication that anything was wrong. A close friend of Ellen’s texted her at noon saying they were getting out early because a blizzard was heading their way and she responded with “Thank Goodness”. The children were all sent home at 1 PM and Ellen waited until they all left before heading out for the day. On the way home, she gassed up her car, then headed to her Venice Loft apartment that she shared with her fiancé, Sam Goldberg.

At 4:45 Sam went to the gym, which was located in the apartment complex, and he returned about 30 minutes later, but the door was locked, and he couldn’t get in. The door handle wasn’t locked, it was the swing lock. This is a lock you would see at most hotels. When it’s connected, the unlocked door can be opened a crack, but the metal latch, swings across from the door frame to the door, to block further entry. Sam realized that the bar latch was locked, so he started to yell for Ellen, but she didn’t respond. For the next hour, he banged on the door, texted, called, and even emailed her.

Here are the texts from Sam

Hello

Open the door

What r u doing

I’m getting pissed

Hello

You better have an excuse

What the fuck

Ahhhh

U have no idea

All of the emails and texts from Sam to Ellen happened between 5:30 and 5:54 PM, then he went down to the front desk to speak with the security guard or doorman, depending on what you’re reading or listening to. Sam told the security guard the whole story about going to the gym and returning back to the apartment and now the swing lock is engaged. He asked if they could kick the door down, but the guard said no, it’s against their policy. Sam returned to the apartment and broke the door down. When he entered, he saw Ellen’s body on the kitchen floor, and he called 911.

I’ll read the transcript of it and then I’ll loop it in later so we can hear it. Some of it is hard to understand.

Sam: Help! I got a...I need....need a...I...I just...I just walked right....part my...fiance’s on the floor with blood everywhere.

Operator: What is the address?

Sam: 4601 Flat Rock Road. Please come. Help! Now!

Operator: 4601 Flat Rock Road. Is this a house or an apartment?

Sam: Oh no. Oh no!

Operator: Is this a house or an apartment?

Sam: It’s an apartment.

Operator: What apartment number?

Sam: (The number is bleeped out) Please hurry. Please.

Operator: Where is she bleeding from?

Sam: She...I don’t know! I can’t tell! She’s....

Operator: Sir, you have to calm yourself down in order to get you some help.

Sam: I’m sorry. I’m sorry. She...I don’t know. I’m looking at her right now. She...I don’t...I can’t see anything. She doesn’t....there’s nothing broken. She’s bleed...Ellie!

Operator: You don’t know where she’s bleeding from? Can’t tell where the blood is coming from?

Sam: Ellie! It’s...I think her head. I think she hit her head. I think. But there's blood everywhere. It’s everywhere.

Operator: Do you think she might have fallen? Do you know what happened?

Sam: She may have slipped. There’s blood on the...on the table. Her, her face is a little purple.

Operator: Okay, hold on for rescue for her. Stay on the phone.

Another operator: Philadelphia Fire Department 842. What’s the address?

Sam: 4601 Flat Rock Road. Please hurry.

Operator: 4601 Flat Rock?

Sam: Yes.

Operator: What’s wrong?

Sam: My, my....I just....my....I went downstairs to go work out. I came back up. The door was latched. My fiancé's inside. She wasn’t, she wasn’t answering, so after about a half hour I decided to break it down. I see her now just on the floor with blood. She’s not....she’s not responding.

Operator: Okay, is she breathing?

Sam: She...I....

Operator: Look at her chest. I need you to calm down and I need you to look at her chest. It’s really...

Sam: I don’t think she...I really don’t think she is.

Operator: List to me. Someone’s on the way. Look at her chest. Is she flat on her back?

Sam: She’s on her back, do I bring her...

Operator: Look at her chest and tell me if it’s going up and down, up and down.

Sam: I don’t see her moving.

Operator: Okay, do you know how to do CPR?

Sam: I don’t.

Operator: Okay, I can tell you what to do. Okay? Until they get there. I want you to keep her...

Sam: Oh, God.

Operator: Hello?

Sam: Yea, hi. Okay.

Operator? Are you willing to do CPR with me over the phone until they...

Sam: I g...I, I have to, right?

Operator: Okay, so get her flat on her back, Bare her chest. Okay? You want to rip her shirt off.

Sam: Ah shit.

Operator: Okay? Feel down by her side.

Sam: Oh, my God. Ellie, please!

Operator: Listen, listen. You can’t freak out, sir, cause...

Sam: Okay, I’m trying not to. I’m trying not to. Her shirt won’t come off. It’s a zipper. Oh, my God! She stabbed herself!

Operator: Where?

Sam: She fell on a knife. Well, no. Her knife is sticking out.

Operator: Her what?

Sam: There’s a knife sticking out of her heart.

Operator: Oh, she stabbed herself?

Sam: I guess. I guess so. I don’t know, or she fell on it. I don’t know.

Operator: Okay, well don’t touch it.

Sam: Okay, so I’m just... I just let her here now. I mean, what do I do?

Operator: No, I mean, you can’t...if the knife is in her chest it’s gonna be kind of hard for you to do CPR at this time.

Sam: Oh, no. Oh my goodness, okay.

Police: which operator. Two seven seven.

Sam: is someone coming here?

Operator: Yes, they are. You said 4601 Flat rock, right?

Sam: Yes.

Operator: Okay, someone’s on the way. And the knife is still inside?

Sam: What?

Operator: The knife is still inside of her?

Sam: Yeah...but I didn’t take it out.

Operator: Is it in her chest or what area is it?

Sam: In her chest. It’s like...it looks like...it’s right...it looks like it’s right in her heart.

Operator: Okay. Someone’s on the way out there. Okay? Just...

Sam: Oh, my god! Oh, my god.

Operator: How old is she?

Sam: She’s 27

Operator: 27. And there’s no sign of life at all?

Sam: No, no, no! Please don’t be! What?

Operator: Pinch her under her arm and tell me if she responds to pain.

Sam: She’s...Ellie! She’s not...she’s not...her arm..her hands are still warm. I don’t know what that means. But there’s blood every...I mean...

Operator: I know, but you can’t. And the knife is still inside of her. How far? Can you see how far it went in?

Sam: It looks pretty deep

Operator: Okay.

Sam: It looks three in...it’s a long knife.

Operator: Don’t touch anything. Don’t touch anything okay?

Sam: I’m not touching anything. It...er...I can’t believe this, uh...

Operator: So, wait. It was just you there with her?

Sam: We...yeah. We’re the only ones here.

Operator: And she ran in the door, you said, and latched it shut?

Sam: No, no. I, I, I went downstairs to work out and I....when I came back up the door was latched.

Operator: Oh.

Sam: Like, it was...you know...it wasn’t like it was...you know...it was, like, locked from the inside. And I’m yelling..

Operator: Well, was the house broken into?

Sam: No, no, no, no, no.

Operator: So, there’s no sign of a break-in?

Sam: No. No sign of a break-in at all. I mean, there will be when you get here because I had to break the latch. But...to get in.

Operator: Okay. 4601 Flat Rock. And this is a house, right?

Sam: It’s an apartment.

Operator: Okay.

Sam: Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Alright. Thank you.

According to an investigation report by the City of Philadelphia, Office of the Medical Examiner, there were no signs of any intruder, forced entry, or “evidence of a struggle”. Ellen hadn’t sustained any injuries that would be consistent with self-defense wounds in a knife attack and there were numerous valuables present such as money, keys, and 3 laptops. The only way to exit the apartment when the front doorway is locked would be through a rear slider leading to the patio, which is 6 stories high. There was snow present and there were no tracks or footprints visible, the snow was completely undisturbed. A knife was embedded in Ellen’s left chest, through her clothing and a few superficial wounds were grouped nearby, one to the left upper chest near the clavicle, 2 more at the mid chest between and just below her breasts. Ther were no defensive wounds to the hands, wrists or forearms and her right hand was closed in a loose fist and she had a towel in her right hand. There were prescriptions for Ellen on the bed stand located in the master bedroom for Alprazolam, Clonazepam, and Zolpidem and Ellen had a small journal where she had been writing down her medications and keeping track of her state of mind while taking them. The last entry was from Jan 16th.

Two kitchen knives were in the sink adjacent to the body, and they did not have any blood or tissue on them. The sink was dry, and it did not show evidence of blood or tissue. A knife block on the counter was turned on its side and the knife in Ellen’s body was consistent with the knife set found in the block on the counter. Neighbors said that they didn’t hear any loud noises or arguments that day. The only thing they reported hearing was when Sam got locked out of the apartment and was banging on the door and yelling and the lobby surveillance cameras didn’t capture anything suspicious.

Ellen was pronounced dead at the scene and the police say that her fiancé, Sam Goldberg cooperated when he was interviewed. The police concluded that Ellen’s death was a suicide, so they worked the scene that way. There was no note or anything suicide related on her computer. They basically went by Sam’s statement about the door being locked and the fact that no one had dropped from their 6-story patio and the valuables hadn’t been touched. Since they chose to work this is a suicide, valuable information was lost or tampered with at the scene and just two days later, Ellen’s death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner, and she had TWENTY stab wounds. There were traces of Zolpidem which is also Ambien, a sedative and sleep aide, and clonazepam which is also Klonopin, an anti-anxiety medication, in Ellen’s system when she died, according to the toxicology report. Dr. Ellen Berman had prescribed them in the weeks prior to her death. Clonazepam has been known to induce suicidal ideation in some patients.

This is where we are going to rewind, and start looking at the events leading up to this, then we will break down many of the problems with Sam’s story, the investigation, the 911 call, and everything else.

Sam Goldberg and Ellen Greenberg had been together for 3 years and they got engaged in the summer of 2010. Her parents had no reservations about their relationship and described Sam as a “fine young man.” They were happy to have him as an in-law and they had no knowledge of any verbal or physical abuse. Ellen had been dealing with anxiety issues and she began seeing a psychiatrist. She had never dealt with anxiety or depression in her life, so it was a little unusual that it started in her late twenties, and it seemed to come on so sudden and fast. To the psychiatrist, Ellen described herself as anxious, insecure, not sure of herself, and she said that she didn’t like how she felt, this was very uncharacteristic for her. These were all brand new feelings.

Ellen had talked to her parents about these changes and said she was just overwhelmed with her classroom work. She had been employed as a teacher for 3 years and she was described as a bright woman, who was very successful, and she recently received her master’s degree in education and certified in reading specialty. Her career was blossoming, her students loved her, she had a supportive family, and she was planning a wedding with her fiancé. This should have been a very exciting time in her life, but that certainly doesn’t mean she couldn’t be battling depression or anxiety.

Her mother, Sandee, said, ”There was never any reason to suspect suicide in any way shape or form.” Her father, Joshua, said, “She was anxious, but she was still happy.” Friends and family do say that there was a distinct change in her before her death. She expressed a desire to temporarily move back home to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with her parents. They were confused by this because she was planning a wedding, but Ellen insisted that the transition had nothing to do with her engagement to Sam. She had been bubbly, positive and confident. The people in Ellen’s life noticed that she wasn’t as cheerful or talkative and she was suddenly stressed and anxious. Her father said that it was a very fast change in her and she couldn’t make decisions any longer. By late 2010, he said that if he asked her anything, she would have to run it by her fiancé and he had to make all of the decisions.

Friends, family and coworkers all noticed this odd behavior and mentioned something to her about it. When asked, she would tell people that she was just stressed about work and the wedding plans. She had sent out the save the dates for their wedding in August and she had been organizing a big dinner party for Sam’s birthday on the 28th.

She had been seeing a psychiatrist named Ellen Berman, per her parent’s request. They had noticed a personality change in her, so her father, Josh said that she could move back home if she got herself some help. Dr. Berman was very upset when she learned that her patient was dead and she had only seen her 3 times, but her next appointment was scheduled for Jan 27th. Ellen had severe anxiety for two months and she said it was due to difficulties at work, she felt overwhelmed and pressured. The school district had changed some regulations and she had some difficult students. She didn’t know if she should quit or try to work though it. Dr. Berman was in the process of developing a treatment plan and was in contact with Ellen’s mother, who called expressing concerns for her daughter, but there was never a feeling of suicidal thoughts. When asked about her fiance’, Ellen would smile and she had nothing, but good things to say about him. She mentioned how wonderful he was and said they were getting married. Dr. Berman asked about any abuse and Ellen denied any verbal or physical abuse.

She texted her mom to say: I’m starting the med, I know you don’t understand, but I can’t keep living with feeling this way. Ellen’s first meeting with Dr. Berman was on January 12th and she was prescribed Zoloft for her anxiety, but she didn’t feel that it was working for her, she went back on the 17th and she was prescribed Xanax. I looked it up and it says that it varies from person to person, but in general, it takes 6 weeks to know if Zoloft will work for you. That must mean her symptoms were pretty severe if she couldn’t wait and Dr. Berman felt that it was appropriate to switch medications that quickly. Two days later, on the 19th, she went back and was prescribed Ambien for sleep and Klonopin for anxiety. After taking these, she texted her mom and said she was finally feeling better, this was working. Her mom was supportive and said she was so happy for her, and Ellen responded with me too, oh my God.

39-year-old Alyson Stern was best friends with Ellen, and she said she missed her call just hours before she was found dead. Alyson was on the other line when she called and she tried to call her back when she was done, but Ellen didn’t answer. The women had been roommates at Penn State, but they had been best friends since they were 10. Alyson said that she was getting married soon, so a few days prior to Ellen’s death, they went dress shopping. She said, “We spent that Saturday together bridesmaid dress shopping for my wedding. I could tell she was not herself. Even when I picked her up to go dress shopping, she just looked disheveled. She was always fully put together, but her hair wasn’t done, and she just wasn’t herself. When we were in the fitting room, she even started crying a little and just like I’m so sorry, I know I’m not myself. But I’ll get it together.”

A few weeks before her death, Alyson said that she talked to Ellen on the phone while she was shopping at CVS. She said that Ellen was rambling about how stressed she was and wanted to quit her job and move back home. Alyson encouraged her friend to give the job more time and quit at the end of the school year if she was still unhappy, but she felt like there was more to it. She wasn’t just upset about her job, but Ellen wasn’t saying anything else.

Ellen’s father, Joshua Greenberg was at a Harrisburg synagogue when he received the news that Ellen’s death had changed from suicide to homicide by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s office. He said, “I was happy. That’s what I thought it was...murder. We never believed suicide. We didn’t think her problems were so great. She didn’t have depression. She had anxiety.” He didn’t learn about the change to homicide by the authorities. A friend of his saw it on the news and notified him, so he ended up changing his speech on the spot and announced to everyone during the funeral that this was now a homicide case. He said, “Everybody, close your eyes. The spirit of Ellen is with you now, and she will always be there.”

In late January, authorities were treating Ellen’s death as suspicious, but they were still leaning towards suicide, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. The police were allegedly looking into her “mental issues.” According to an Oxygen article, there was a study by The National Center for Biotechnology Information, which investigated the association between self-harm and benzodiazepines, they examined a case of a “previously stable” 62-year-old man who “inflicted serious stab wounds to himself, twice within a month,” while taking the psychoactive medication. The study noted such incidents are rare and typically associated with withdrawals, but similar studies in Canada and Sweden have been published linking self-harm with benzodiazepines.

On March 7th, 2011, the medical examiner’s office overturned Ellen’s death to a suicide, citing her alleged mental health struggles, and the fact that she was found in a locked apartment and there were no signs of a struggle, with zero trace of anyone else’s DNA. After the decision was reversed back to suicide, her father Joshua said, “There’s a big hole...there’s a tremendous hole in our lives.” Her mother, Sandee said, “There’s no way my daughter would harm herself or anyone else.” Walter Cohen, former Pennsylvania state attorney general said, “This is not a clear-cut case of suicide.”

Ellen’s parents say that their daughter was too squeamish to get her ears pierced for the second time, how could she stick a knife in her back 10 times and stab herself a total of 20 times? Her father said, “She chickened out of getting her ears pierced, she didn't like pain, her own pain. The whole thing, it just didn’t make sense. When we found out certain facts along the way, she had wounds in her back. How do you do that?”

The Greenberg’s were stunned by this ruling, so they obtained Ellen’s autopsy report and decided to hire several different medical experts, lawyers, and law enforcement officials to look at her case. What were they missing here? To them, it seemed so obvious that it was a homicide, but the police were sure it was a suicide. They needed everything on this case, so they sent a foyer request. The medical examiner complied with this and sent the autopsy report, photos from the scene, and the investigative report, but the police sent nothing....why? If the case was closed as a suicide and they didn’t believe a crime was committed, why hide the records? Here’s how sketchy things got though. After Ellen’s parents hired an attorney, they again, asked the police for all of the evidence. After many attempts, the police finally said the Greenberg’s would be allowed to view the evidence, but they had a few conditions. They must come alone to the station to view the files there, they couldn’t bring an attorney or any other experts, no photos were allowed, and they couldn’t call anyone to discuss what they were seeing. Huh? Obviously, Ellen’s parents are not investigators, so even if they have access to the files, they can’t interpret the information and it sounds like that’s what the police were counting on.

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