US attorney's office looking into case of Philly woman stabbed 20 times and ruled suicide under then-AG Josh Shapiro: report

The federal government is now taking a fresh look into the 2011 death of Ellen Greenberg, A Philadelphia teacher woman who died after 20 stab wounds. Ten of those wounder were in the back of her neck and base of her head, but her death was ruled suicide.

According to sources that spoke to NBC10, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is interested in looking at the case. The federal government has requested documents related to her death, and obtained them last month, the outlet reported.

Greenberg, 27 at the time of her death, had 20 stab wounds to her front as well as back. The medical examiner had initially ruled that it was a homicide, but later ruled it a suicide and her death has remained that way on records since. Greenberg's parents, however, have fought to reopen the case and have argued that she was murdered.

Greenberg was found dead by her fiance Sam Goldberg in the apartment they shared. A 10-inch blade was found sticking out of her chest. Her parents have long accused the local government and justice system of covering up a botched homicide investigation.

In January of 2025, the original medical examiner in the case signed a sworn statement that Greenberg's death should be ruled something other than suicide. Goldberg has maintained that it was her mental illness that caused her to stab herself repeatedly to death. However, a doctor treating Greenberg before the death said she was "not suicidal" and wrote in a report that she had bruises that “suggest domestic abuse sufficient to account for her anxiety.” Additionally, one of the stab wounds was reportedly made after she would have already died.

Josh Shapiro, the then-Attorney General in Pennsylvania, backed the ruling that it was a suicide. The case remained inactive for years but has gotten more scrutiny after Shapiro was considered to be a vice-presidential nominee by Kamala Harris in the 2024 race.

Greenberg's parents brought a lawsuit against Philadelphia, but settled and agreed to drop it when the city paid out $650,000 and agreed to perform another independent review from a new medical examiner. In October, the new report again found Greenberg's death to be a suicide.