Ellen Greenberg Homicide Investigation Now 'Inactive'
Crime & Safety
Ellen Greenberg Homicide Investigation Now 'Inactive' Ellen Greenberg, 27, was found with 20 stab wounds in her Manayunk apartment nearly 14 years ago. Officials ruled her death a suicide.— The homicide investigation into the 2011 death of teacher Ellen Greenberg has been placed in "inactive" status, authorities said.
The Chester County District Attorney's Office, which was appointed to investigate Greenberg's Manayunk death due to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner previously representing the Greenberg family, said Friday that it could not "prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed," and thus said the homicide investigation is now inactive.
Greenberg, 27, was found by her fiancée with 20 stab wounds in her apartment on Flat Rock Road in Manayunk on Jan. 26, 2011.
Her death was initially ruled a homicide, but the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office later changed the ruling to homicide.
"After this review, the investigative team determined that, based on the current state of the evidence, we cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed," the Chester County District Attorney's Office said. "This standard of proof—beyond a reasonable doubt—makes the criminal investigation different than other legal cases or issues that surround Ms. Greenberg's death. Because we cannot meet our burden of proof with the information and evidence presently available, we placed this investigation in an inactive status."
Authorities said the case is not closed due to no statute of limitations or criminal homicide in Pennsylvania.
Back in October 2022, her family filed a suit against the city , alleging it covered up her death and wrongly ruled her death a suicide.
However, a September 2023 ruling in the Commonwealth Court said her family did not have legal standing to sue the city in hopes of reversing the suicide ruling to homicide.
This comes even as the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office said there "is no dispute that evidence in the record could support other conclusions about the manner of [Greenberg's] death."
"While this Court is acutely aware of the deeply flawed investigation of the Victim's death by the City of Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) detectives, the City of Philadelphia District Attorney's Office (DAO), and the MEO, we have no choice under the law but to reverse and remand to the Trial Court for the entry of judgment in favor of the MEO," the ruling reads.
Despite that, the court said it believes that "providing a detailed review of the Victim's death and the ensuing investigation is clearly warranted with hopes that equity may one day prevail for the Victim and her loved ones."
Detectives and the Medical Examiner's Office initially could not agree on a cause of death, with the Medical Examiner's Office calling the death a homicide, and law enforcement calling it a "suspicious death."
Greenberg's family in 2019 asked for the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office to reopen the case, but District Attorney Larry Krasner sent the case to then Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro's office , According to Action News.
In late 2021, the AG's office was given a 10 gigabyte file by Greenberg's family .
A representative for the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office told Patch in December 2021 that the file was being reviewed and that it was too early to say if it contains new details or new evidence.
However, the case was sent back to Philadelphia.
"While the Office of Attorney General does not have an actual conflict in this matter, circumstances beyond our control have created the appearance of a conflict and our involvement is no longer serving one of the primary purposes of the District Attorney's original conflict referral," the AG's office said in July 2022.
