Judge tied to teacher’s fiance took items for police investigation after ‘suicide’

The parents of Philadelphia teacher Ellen Greenberg are quashing what they call an “unjust” investigation into her 2011 death, which was ruled a suicide after her fiancé found her in the kitchen during a snowstorm with 20 stab wounds and covered in bruises with a half-inflicted wound. fruit salad on the counter.

Her parents want to know why her fiancé’s prominent right uncle was allowed to remove a number of items from the scene.

“Things were removed from the crime scene without our consent. The chain of custody was broken from the beginning when Jim Schwartzman removed computers, electronics and my daughter’s purse,” Dr. Josh Greenberg to Fox News Digital in a joint interview with his colleagues. wife, Sandee Greenberg.

TEACHER’S UNLIKELY ‘SUICIDE’ STATEMENT AS WEB Sleuths Dig Into Surveillance Video

Ellen Greenberg, left, in an undated family photo (Greenberg family)

A representative for James Schwartzman, the uncle of Ellen’s fiancée Sam Goldberg and a prominent Pennsylvania judge, responded to these claims on his behalf, saying police had given him permission to enter and take Ellen’s belongings. He denied removing Ellen’s purse, but he admitted removing her computers and cell phones.

“The door was damaged and not properly secured, and he was taking out items that he believed were stolen,” Schwartzman’s representative explained on his behalf.

This crime scene photo shows damage to the door of Ellen Greenberg’s apartment after her fiancé, Sam Goldberg, told police he kicked the door in from the outside. (Tom Brennan)

In response to the concerns of Dr. Greenberg regarding the “chain of custody” of his daughter’s devices, Schwartzman’s representative said: “My understanding from 42 years of experience is that the chain of custody applies to items seized by law enforcement, not objects just taken from prison. I just don’t understand how that applies to this specific situation, especially since the police cleared the scene and allowed Mr. Schwartzman to go get items.”

He added that Schwartzman did not need permission from Greenberg’s parents to take anything from the apartment once police cleared the scene.

“Honestly, that’s a bit of a red herring,” he said. “When police called Mr. Schwartzman and asked him to bring the computers and cell phones to the police station, he did so immediately.”

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This image shows Ellen Greenberg in an undated family photo and a computer-generated photo based on an autopsy report that shows knives indicating where she had been stabbed 20 times. (Greenberg family)

Still, Greenberg’s parents and veteran outside investigators have expressed concern that police bungled their response and cleared the scene too early. Last year, an appeals court panel blasted police, prosecutors and forensic pathologists for handling the case while it was still pending. judged the parents.

Schwartzman, a prominent attorney, was elected in 2021 as presiding judge of the Court of Judicial Discipline of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the court responsible for hearing judicial misconduct cases from across the state. He had been a district court judge for the two years prior to his election. He is also a partner and chairman of the Ethics and Professional Responsibility Group at the law firm Stevens & Lee, according to a professional profile.

Neither Goldberg nor Schwartzman have been charged with any wrongdoing.

Melissa Ware, the former property manager of Ellen’s apartment complex, previously spoke to Fox Nation about receiving a call from someone she believed at the time was Schwartzman.

‘I got a call from someone in Sam’s family. I think it might have been the uncle. They wanted to come to the apartment to pick up some personal belongings for the funeral. I immediately called the police to see what I could do’ They didn’t, and they told me it was no problem to let them in; it was no longer a crime scene,” Ware said.

WATCH: Melissa Ware discusses cleaning out Ellen Greenberg’s apartment

“And then I asked, ‘Well, what’s the condition of the apartment like?’ because I hadn’t been inside, ‘and is there anyone who can clean it up? And they said it was something they didn’t do,’ Ware continued. ‘I asked for a recommendation clean up.’

She called the company, which arrived to sweep the scene the day before police returned with a search warrant, according to the Greenberg family’s attorney, Joe Podraza, and court documents. The knife found in Greenberg’s chest was never fingerprinted and a second possible weapon was never recovered. Investigators did not use the blood-detecting chemical luminol to examine the scene.

Greenberg, 27, was found on Jan. 6, 2011, with 20 stab wounds, including 10 from behind, at least one of which could have been inflicted after she was already dead, according to court documents. Her body was also covered in bruises in various stages of healing, her parents said consistent with abuse.

After her death, Dr. Marlon Osbourne, a forensic pathologist with the city medical office, said it was a homicide, according to court documents. Then he changed course encounter with the police behind closed doors and officially considered it a suicide.

PHILADELPHIA TEACHER’S SUSPICED SUICIDE CRIME CLEARED BEFORE POLICE ARRIVE WITH A SEARCH WARRANT

Ellen Greenberg as teacher (Family of Ellen Greenberg)

“There is no reason for the police to withhold anything. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, suicide is not a crime,” Dr. Greenberg to Fox News Digital. “Then why are they holding my daughter’s personal belongings?”

“I would like to see my daughter’s diary,” Sandee Greenberg added. ‘I’d like her Ugg boots. I would like her glasses. “I don’t see any reason to deprive ourselves of these things if they insist this is suicide.”

The Greenbergs allege that, in addition to Ellen’s belongings, Philadelphia officials are withholding further surveillance footage from the day of their daughter’s death and a videotape that Ware recorded of the scene taken before it was cleared.

A younger Ellen Greenberg smiles in an undated photo of her childhood friend and Penn State classmate. (Friends of Ellen Greenberg)

Police released several hours of surveillance footage from Greenberg’s apartment building on the night of her death to Podraza, who first shared it with Gavin Fish, an independent investigative journalist who has a website dedicated to solving the case.

Web sleuths and family supporters from across the country spent hours watching surveillance video from the lobby and hallways of the apartment complex looking for clues.

A librarian told PennLive that on camera a man was seen “nervously bouncing around the lobby near the elevator” before “using a Kleenex to dab the blood” from an unspecified injury. She reportedly sent that information to investigators.

WATCH: Sam Goldberg, Ellen Greenberg’s then fiance, appears in surveillance footage from 2011

“The video makes me very curious because I don’t know who some of the people who appear in the video are, whether they were residents or visitors,” Sandee Greenberg said. I wanted a 48 hour period where people come and go in the building. I asked for a guest list. I didn’t get that. They cannot keep this information from us.”

“We’re talking about a piece of surveillance footage, which actually takes a few hours. Sandee and I have never seen more than a piece of surveillance,” said Dr. Josh Greenberg.

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Since their daughter’s death, the Greenbergs have been embroiled in lawsuits with the government. They have accused the medical examiner’s office of covering up their daughter’s murder, demanded police turn over more evidence and tried to sue to have the “suicide” designation on her death certificate replaced with “murder.” or ‘indefinite’.

WATCH ‘TEACHER DEATH MYSTERY’ ON FOX NATION

In September, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments from the Greenbergs and their attorney.

“The Supreme Court will decide whether or not Sandee and I are eligible. And that’s very important… I mean, no one has ever gotten this far…. I know it took almost fourteen years, but it’s still a very difficult time. important matter,” said Dr. Greenberg.

“I’m really looking forward to making our voices heard,” Sandee said. “Not only are we now fighting for justice for Ellen, but because there is so much attention on these various lawsuits, this will hopefully set a precedent for other victims of heinous crimes.”

PHILADELPHIA SUICIDE INDICATION FOR WOMAN WITH 20 STAB WOUNDS, Bruises, IGNORES EVIDENCE FOR CHAPTER: EXPERTS

Ellen Greenberg with her parents, Josh and Sandee Greenberg. (Family of Ellen Greenberg)

The Chester County District Attorney’s Office launched an independent investigation about two years ago that remains ongoing after both Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and former Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, now the governor, both recused themselves from the case.

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The Philadelphia Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. They have previously declined to discuss the matter, citing the investigation opened in Chester County and the ongoing civil lawsuits.

Goldberg and the Chester County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond for comment.

“Sometimes I feel like when I talk about Ellen, people want me to probably just give up and forget it ever happened, but I don’t want anyone to walk in my shoes and experience the amount of loss,” Sandee says Greenberg. said. “For Josh and me, this is a mission that we are on because it is just, so wrong and so unjust.”