Pass judgement on tied to trainer’s fiance took pieces sooner than police seek after ‘suicide’

The oldsters of Philadelphia trainer Ellen Greenberg are blasting what they name an “unjust” investigation into her 2011 demise that was once dominated a suicide after her fiancé discovered her within the kitchen all through a snowstorm with 20 stab wounds and coated in bruises with a half-made fruit salad at the countertop.

Her oldsters need to know why her fiancé’s distinguished pass judgement on uncle was once allowed to take away a lot of pieces from the scene. 

“Issues have been got rid of from the crime scene with out our permission. The chain of custody was once damaged from the very starting when Jim Schwartzman got rid of computer systems, electronics, my daughter’s purse,” Dr. Josh Greenberg advised Fox Information Virtual in a joint-interview along with his spouse, Sandee Greenberg. 

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A consultant for James Schwartzman, Ellen’s fiancé Sam Goldberg’s uncle and a outstanding pass judgement on in Pennsylvania, replied to those claims on his behalf, pronouncing police gave him permission to head in and take Ellen’s assets. He denied eliminating Ellen’s purse, however he admitted to eliminating her computer systems and mobile phones. 

“The door was once broken and unsecure, and he took out pieces that he idea may well be stolen,” the consultant for Schwartzman defined on his behalf. 

This crime scene photograph displays harm to Ellen Greenberg’s condo door after her fiancé, Sam Goldberg, advised police he kicked it in from the outdoor. (Tom Brennan)

Responding to Dr. Greenberg’s fear concerning the “chain of custody” of his daughter’s gadgets, Schwartzman’s consultant stated, “My figuring out from 42 years of observe is chain of custody relates to pieces which were seized by way of the police, no longer pieces simply taken from a location. I simply do not know how that is appropriate to this actual state of affairs, particularly when the police have launched the scene and given permission for Mr. Schwartzman to head and get pieces.”

He added that Schwartzman did not want the permission of Greenberg’s oldsters to take the rest from the condo as soon as police launched the scene.

“Frankly, that is roughly a purple herring,” he stated. “When the police telephoned Mr. Schwartzman and asked that he deliver the computer systems and mobile phones to the police station, he right away did so.”

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This symbol displays Ellen Greenberg in an undated circle of relatives photograph and a computer-generated photograph according to an post-mortem file appearing knives to suggest the place she have been stabbed 20 occasions. (Greenberg circle of relatives)

Nonetheless, Greenberg’s oldsters and skilled outdoor investigators have raised issues that police botched their reaction and launched the scene too early. An appellate courtroom panel closing yr excoriated the police, prosecutors and forensic pathologists who labored the case even because it dominated towards the oldsters.

Schwartzman, a distinguished legal professional, was once elected president pass judgement on of the Pennsylvania Superb Court docket’s Court docket of Judicial Self-discipline in 2021, the courtroom chargeable for listening to judicial misconduct instances from around the state. He have been a pass judgement on at the courtroom within the two years previous to his election. He’s additionally a spouse and chair of the Ethics and Skilled Duty Crew with the Stevens & Lee regulation company, in accordance to a pro profile.  

Neither Goldberg nor Schwartzman were accused of any wrongdoing.

Melissa Ware, the previous assets supervisor of Ellen’s condo development, up to now spoke to Fox Country about receiving a decision from anyone who she believed was once Schwartzman on the time. 

“I won a decision from anyone in Sam’s circle of relatives. I feel it will were the uncle. They sought after to come back to the condo to get a couple of non-public results for the funeral. I right away known as the police to peer what I may just or could not do, and so they advised me that there was once no downside permitting them to in; it was once not a criminal offense scene,” Ware stated. 

WATCH: Melissa Ware discusses cleanup at Ellen Greenberg’s condo

“After which I requested, ‘Neatly, what’s the situation of the condo appear to be?’ as a result of I hadn’t been inside of, ‘and is there anyone that would blank it up? And so they stated that it is one thing they did not do,” Ware endured. “I requested for a advice. They gave me a criminal offense scene cleanup.” 

She known as the corporate, which arrived to wipe out the scene the day sooner than police got here again with a seek warrant, consistent with the Greenberg circle of relatives’s legal professional, Joe Podraza, and appellate courtroom paperwork. The knife present in Greenberg’s chest was once by no means fingerprinted, and a 2nd conceivable weapon was once by no means recovered. Investigators did not use the blood-detecting chemical luminol to inspect the scene.

Greenberg, 27, was once discovered on Jan. 6, 2011, with 20 stab wounds, together with 10 from in the back of, a minimum of one among which can have been inflicted after she was once already lifeless, consistent with courtroom paperwork. Her frame was once additionally coated in bruises in several phases of therapeutic, which her oldsters say are in step with abuse.

After her demise, a forensic pathologist with town scientific examiner’s administrative center named Dr. Marlon Osbourne dominated it a murder, consistent with courtroom paperwork. Then he reversed direction after assembly with police in the back of closed doorways and deemed it formally a suicide.

PHILADELPHIA TEACHER’S SUSPICIOUS SUICIDE CRIME SCENE WAS CLEANED UP BEFORE POLICE ARRIVED WITH SEARCH WARRANT

Ellen Greenberg as a trainer (Ellen Greenberg’s circle of relatives)

“There is no explanation why for the police to withhold the rest. Within the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, suicide isn’t a criminal offense,” Dr. Greenberg advised Fox Information Virtual. “So why are they keeping directly to my daughter’s non-public results?”

“I might like to peer my daughter’s magazine,” Sandee Greenberg added. “I would really like her Ugg boots. I might like her glasses. I do not see any explanation why to withhold these items from us once they insist this can be a suicide.”

The Greenbergs declare that along with Ellen’s assets, Philadelphia officers are withholding additional surveillance pictures from the day in their daughter’s demise and a videotape that Ware recorded of the scene taken sooner than it was once wiped clean up.

A more youthful Ellen Greenberg smiles in an undated photograph equipped by way of her formative years good friend and Penn State classmate. (Buddies of Ellen Greenberg)

Police launched a number of hours of surveillance pictures from Greenberg’s condo development at the evening of her demise to Podraza, who first shared it with Gavin Fish, an impartial investigative reporter who has a web page devoted to fixing the case.

Internet sleuths and supporters of the circle of relatives from across the nation have spent hours observing clips of surveillance video from the condo development’s foyer and hallways for clues.

A librarian advised PennLive {that a} guy was once noticed on digital camera “nervously bouncing round” the foyer close to the elevator sooner than the use of “a Kleenex to dab the blood” from an unspecified damage. She reportedly despatched that knowledge to investigators.

WATCH: Sam Goldberg, fiancé of Ellen Greenberg on the time, noticed in 2011 surveillance pictures

“The video makes me very curious as a result of I do not know who a lot of folks that seem within the video are, whether or not they have been citizens or guests,” Sandee Greenberg stated. “I sought after like a 48-hour window of folks coming and going within the development. I requested for a visitor checklist. I did not get that. They should not be withholding this data from us.”

“We are speaking a couple of chew of surveillance pictures, which is actually a few hours. Sandee and I’ve by no means noticed greater than a bit of surveillance,” Dr. Josh Greenberg stated.

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Since their daughter’s demise, the Greenbergs were entangled in courtroom battles with the federal government. They have got accused the scientific examiner’s administrative center of overlaying up their daughter’s murder, demanded police flip over extra proof and attempted suing to have the designation of “suicide” on her demise certificates changed with “murder” or “undetermined.”

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In September, Pennsylvania’s Superb Court docket agreed to listen to arguments from the Greenbergs and their legal professional.

“The Superb Court docket goes to be deciding whether or not or no longer Sandee and I’ve status. And that’s the reason an actual large factor … I imply, nobody has ever gotten this a long way. … I are aware of it’s taken nearly 14 years, however it is nonetheless a vital case,” Dr. Greenberg stated.

“I very a lot sit up for with the ability to have our voices heard,” Sandee stated. “Now not most effective are we combating now for justice for Ellen, however as a result of there may be such a lot consideration on those other complaints, it’s going to set some precedent, expectantly, for different sufferers of heinous crimes.”

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Ellen Greenberg together with her oldsters, Josh and Sandee Greenberg. (Ellen Greenberg’s circle of relatives)

The Chester County District Legal professional’s Administrative center initiated an impartial investigation more or less two years in the past this is ongoing after each Philadelphia District Legal professional Larry Krasner and previous Pennsylvania Legal professional Basic Josh Shapiro, now the governor, each recused themselves from the case.

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Philadelphia police didn’t right away reply to Fox Information Virtual’s request for remark. They’ve up to now declined to talk about the case, mentioning the open investigation in Chester County and the continued civil litigation.

Goldberg and the Chester County District Legal professional’s Administrative center didn’t right away reply for remark. 

“Every now and then I think folks, when I am speaking about Ellen … they would like me to most probably simply surrender and overlook it ever came about, however I don’t need someone to stroll in my sneakers and enjoy the volume of loss,” Sandee Greenberg stated. “For Josh and I, this can be a project that we’ve got as a result of it is simply, it is so incorrect and so unjust.”