The death of a Pennsylvania woman who was stabbed 20 times should no longer be considered a suicide, according to a pathologist who has flip-flopped on their opinion multiple times.
Ellen Greenberg was found in her apartment in 2011 with a knife sticking out of her chest. Police on the scene thought the incident a suicide because the woman's fiance told them the front door was locked and he had to break it down to get in, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Police saw no evidence of an intruder and nothing that looked like a struggle.
However, during the autopsy, 20 stab wounds were found on her body, including 10 to the back of her neck. She also had bruises on her body that were in different states of healing, according to the Inquirer.
Initially the pathologist, Marlon Osbourne, ruled the death a homicide. But, when police complained and disputed the finding, Osbourne changed the ruling to a suicide. Greenberg's family sued in 2022, calling the investigation botched and claiming a coverup, the newspaper reported.
Now, as part of that lawsuit, Osbourne made a sworn statement that the death should not be considered a suicide: "[B]ased on my consideration of the new information brought to my attention after leaving my position as Medical Examiner for the City of Philadelphia, along with my original autopsy findings and information considered while I was actively involved in Ellen's case, it is my professional opinion Ellen's manner of death should be designated as something other than suicide."
The statement came as part of a settlement Osbourne made with Greenberg's parents. The civil case against two other defendants involved in the investigation continues.
