What Happened to Ellen?: An American Miscarriage of Justice

How could this have happened in the United States?

Is it even humanly possible that this young woman could have so brutally and with such unimaginable Herculean force fatally stabbed herself more than twenty times?

Beautiful, accomplished, and beloved, Ellen Greenberg was a vivacious and affectionate teacher of young children she adored. Always upbeat, she deeply loved her family and friends, and especially her fiancée, Sam Goldberg, with whom she was planning a wedding. In fact, they'd just sent out the save-the-date announcements when, on January 26, 2011, Ellen was found in the kitchen of the luxury apartment she shared with Sam, a knife still plunged in her chest. She'd been brutally stabbed more than twenty times, at least one of the wounds having been assessed as occurring post-mortem. The autopsy by the Philadelphia medical examiner recorded homicide as the cause of death. Following secretive meetings, including the Philadelphia Police Department, District Attorney's Office, and possibly members of the Attorney General's Office, the cause of death was changed to "suicide." How could that possibly be? Could this petite, twenty-seven-year-old woman have so forcibly murdered herself, hitting parts of her body no one could reach with such Herculean force, again and again and again? Top forensics investigators who have painstakingly studied this case take huge exception to the suicide finding. They say it's impossible. Period. So why can't Ellen Greenberg's still grieving parents get the Philadelphia justice system to simply reopen the case, despite a groundswell of public pressure and thirteen years of legal battles and appeals? Why is it that even the Philadelphia Supreme Court called the handling of the case questionable and even riddled with mistakes but stopped short of ordering a new investigation?

Author: Nancy Grace
Publisher: Regalo Press
Published: 04/22/2025
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.40w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9798888455326

About the Author
An outspoken, tireless advocate for victims' rights and one of television's most respected legal analysts, New York Times bestselling author Nancy Grace currently hosts Crime Stories with Nancy Grace (airing on Dr. Phil's all-new Merit Street Media and SIRIUS XM, and downloadable as a podcast that boasts 12M+ downloads monthly) and headlines the hit syndicated television series Bloodline Detectives and ID Discovery's CrimeFeed. She is the founder and publisher of CrimeOnline.com, a crime-fighting digital platform that investigates breaking crime news, spreads awareness of missing people, and shines a light on cold cases. A former prosecutor, she was a fan favorite on Dancing with the Stars; all of her earnings from the show went to support the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. In 2011, Grace was named one of the most impactful and powerful women in entertainment by both leading industry trade magazines, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

She is the recipient of several American Women in Radio & Television Gracie Awards for her Nancy Grace Investigates primetime report on Court TV and has been awarded the Individual Achievement/Best Program Host honor. Grace has also been widely recognized by many notable organizations (including the Carole Sund/Carrington Foundation, Crime Victims United of California, and The Retreat) for her advocacy work on behalf of victims' rights.