PASSAGE  ONE OF THE DAY: "Greenberg's parents, Josh and Sandra Greenberg, have long questioned that finding. Almost 50,000 people have signed a petition calling for Josh Shapiro, the Pennsylvania Attorney General, to reopen the case. Her parents said she had never mentioned suicidal thoughts and no problems with Goldberg, The Washington Post reported. According to the police report, she left no note. Other details, they told the Post, raised questions — she had filled her car with gas before returning home, and had been preparing a fruit salad before she died. The fact that the knife block was tipped over suggested a struggle, the Post described their attorney, Joseph Podraza, saying. In early 2021, the Greenbergs shared new forensic evidence of the positions of the stab wounds with CBS Philly, which they say proves she could not have stabbed herself. A gash on the back of her head could be from a wound that rendered her unconscious and unable to defend herself, the lawsuit suggested, per the Post.”


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STORY: "Parents sue officials over ruling that their daughter's death by more than 20 stab wounds was a suicide," by Reporter Mia Jankowicz, published by The Insider, on October 27, 2021.  (Mia Jankowicz is a news reporter at Insider's London office. She previously covered Brexit for The New European and has contributed stories to The Guardian, The New Statesman, Politics.co.uk, and Mic.com, as well as several local newspapers.)


SUB- HEADING: "They say they have new evidence that she could not have stabbed herself.


SUB-HEADING:  Police say Ellen Greenberg was alone in her locked home with no evidence of a  struggle."


GIST: "The parents of a woman found dead with more than 20 stab wounds are suing the medical examiner's office over its declaration that she died by suicide, according to multiple reports. 


More than 10 years since Ellen Greenberg's boyfriend found her dead in her Philadelphia apartment, her parents have won the right to take the ruling to a trial, CBS Philly reported.


It is a first step towards potentially securing the homicide ruling her parents have long sought, according to the outlet. 


Greenberg, a 27-year-old elementary school teacher, came home early from work due to a snowstorm on January 26 2011, The Washington Post reported.


At around 5.30 p.m., her boyfriend Sam Goldberg came home to find himself locked out. Eventually he broke down the door to find Greenberg's body with a knife still in her chest, the police report noted. 


The report goes on to say she was alone in the sixth-floor apartment, and that the door had been blocked by a swing bar from the inside. The knife matched the set in her knife block, which was tipped over, the report said.


The only access points were the front door and a balcony, police said. Officers say the snow outside was undisturbed.


A lack of defensive wounds, and no signs of a robbery, all led police to suspect a suicide, the report said. 

Medical examiner Marlon Osbourne declared the death a homicide, but police continued investigating, according to the Post.


Weeks later, after it emerged that Greenberg had been prescribed anxiety and sleep medication — the side effects of which can include suicidal thoughts — Osbourne changed the death certificate to call it a suicide, the Post reported. 


Greenberg's parents, Josh and Sandra Greenberg, have long questioned that finding. Almost 50,000 people have signed a petition calling for Josh Shapiro, the Pennsylvania Attorney General, to reopen the case.


Her parents said she had never mentioned suicidal thoughts and no problems with Goldberg, The Washington Post reported. 


According to the police report, she left no note.


Other details, they told the Post, raised questions — she had filled her car with gas before returning home, and had been preparing a fruit salad before she died.


The fact that the knife block was tipped over suggested a struggle, the Post described their attorney, Joseph Podraza, saying.


In early 2021, the Greenbergs shared new forensic evidence of the positions of the stab wounds with CBS Philly, which they say proves she could not have stabbed herself.


A gash on the back of her head could be from a wound that rendered her unconscious and unable to defend herself, the lawsuit suggested, per the Post.


Greenberg's parents, Josh and Sandra Greenberg, have long questioned that finding. Almost 50,000 people have signed a petition calling for Josh Shapiro, the Pennsylvania Attorney General, to reopen the case.


Her parents said she had never mentioned suicidal thoughts and no problems with Goldberg, The Washington Post reported. According to the police report, she left no note.

Other details, they told the Post, raised questions — she had filled her car with gas before returning home, and had been preparing a fruit salad before she died.


The fact that the knife block was tipped over suggested a struggle, the Post described their attorney, Joseph Podraza, saying.


In early 2021, the Greenbergs shared new forensic evidence of the positions of the stab wounds with CBS Philly, which they say proves she could not have stabbed herself.


A gash on the back of her head could be from a wound that rendered her unconscious and unable to defend herself, the lawsuit suggested, per the Post.”


The entire story can be read at:

https://www.insider.com/parents-challenge-suicide-ruling-woman-who-died-20-stab-wounds-2021-10


PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic"  section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com.  Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;

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FINAL WORD:  (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases):  "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."

Lawyer Radha Natarajan:

Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;

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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions.   They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they’ve exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!

Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;


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FINAL, FINAL, FINAL WORD: “It is incredibly easy to convict an innocent person, but it's exceedingly difficult to undo such a devastating injustice. 

Jennifer Givens: DirectorL UVA I