A long-awaited breakthrough in the 14-year battle for justice in Ellen Greenberg’s death arrived in a Philadelphia courtroom Monday, as her parents, Joshua and Sandee Greenberg, reached a settlement with the city that will result in an expedited review of their daughter's controversial suicide ruling.

The Greenbergs, who have fought tirelessly to prove their daughter was murdered, agreed to drop lawsuits against former Philadelphia Chief Medical Examiner Sam Gulino and Homicide Det. John McNamee. Their lawsuit alleged that the officials conspired to cover up evidence that Ellen was the victim of homicide. The settlement also halts a separate case that was scheduled for arguments before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in early 2025.

“This is a step forward to bring in the people to justice who are responsible for this homicide,” said Joe Podraza, the family’s attorney. “We’d like to find out who the murderer or murderers of Ellen are.”

The City of Philadelphia will pay an undisclosed sum to the Greenbergs in July, but monetary compensation was never the goal for Joshua Greenberg.

“There is nobody in the world who can say Ellen committed suicide, and that’s the most important thing,” he said. “I don’t care about the money. I wanted Ellen’s suicide taken care of.”

His confidence comes from a key development: a sworn admission from former Philadelphia pathologist Dr. Marlon Osbourne, the man who initially performed Ellen’s autopsy. Osbourne originally ruled Ellen’s death a homicide before changing it to suicide after discussions with Philadelphia homicide detectives and medical examiners. Now, he admits he was wrong.

In a legal document signed Saturday, Osbourne outlined the evidence that led him to reconsider his stance. His reversal confirms what the Greenbergs' independent investigation has long suggested—that Ellen Greenberg was murdered.

The Greenbergs’ private investigator, retired Pennsylvania State Police Detective Tom Brennan, uncovered major inconsistencies in the case, including:

Despite these findings, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet committed to changing Ellen’s cause of death. Instead, they’ve agreed to conduct a new review—one the Greenbergs hope will officially overturn the suicide ruling

From the moment Ellen was found stabbed to death in her apartment on January 26, 2011, her case has been plagued with investigative failures.

Ellen’s fiancé, Sam Goldberg, claimed he returned from the gym to find their apartment door locked from the inside. After allegedly forcing entry, he said he discovered Ellen slumped against the kitchen cabinets, with a knife still lodged in her chest. During his 911 call, Goldberg repeatedly insisted that Ellen had “stabbed herself.”

Philadelphia police and the medical examiner’s office quickly accepted that explanation, ruling her death a suicide despite the glaring improbability of someone stabbing themselves 20 times—including wounds to the back of the head and neck.

Perhaps the most egregious failure came when detectives left the crime scene unsecured. The next day, the apartment was professionally cleaned before a proper forensic investigation could take place. This error effectively destroyed potential evidence that could have pointed to a killer.

“These are mistakes that should never happen in a homicide investigation,” Brennan said. “There is no statute of limitations on murder. We will keep fighting.”

With the lawsuit settled, the Greenbergs’ attorneys are now pushing for outside law enforcement agencies—such as the FBI or the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office—to take over the case.

Podraza made it clear that Philadelphia police would not be part of any future investigation.

“Frankly, from our vantage point, they were not very cooperative,” he said. “The question will be how receptive other law enforcement agencies will be to pursuing this.”

While a wrongful death lawsuit remains a possibility, Podraza said the family will wait to see if a criminal investigation moves forward before making any decisions.

For Ellen’s mother, Sandee, the settlement marks the end of years of sleepless nights and heartbreak, but not the end of their pursuit for justice.

“I hope today we made Ellen proud of us because we certainly were very proud of her,” she said.

As for Brennan, who has spent years uncovering the truth behind Ellen’s death, he remains hopeful that her killer will one day be brought to justice.

“You know, we have all the time in the world,” he said. “There is no statute of limitations on homicide. Won’t it be nice to put your hand on somebody’s shoulder and say, ‘Hey, come with me’?”

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