PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The family of a woman who was found stabbed several times inside her Manayunk apartment more than a decade ago has settled with the city, hours before their civil case was set to begin.
According to lawyers for the parents of Ellen Greenberg, the city will re-examine how the 27-year-old died in 2011 from about 20 stab wounds. The medical examiner ruled the death a suicide.
“Hopefully, that will be a new investigation,” their attorney, Joe Podraza, told KYW news partners at NBC10. “All the information that we’ve acquired over the years will be presented, and I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t reach the same result.”
A spokesperson for the city's law department told KYW the settlement terms include an independent review of the autopsy file and an express waiver of any claims that might be brought as a result of that process.
The Greenberg family sued the city, the medical examiner and other investigating entities, arguing that the medical examiner first ruled their daughter’s death a homicide but changed it to suicide after a meeting with detectives.
The pathologist now believes her death “should be designated as something other than suicide,” according to statement from law firm Lamb McErlane.
The case has been battled in the courts and in the public eye for years — and it was turned over to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office for an independent review. In November, they announced they would not be moving forward on criminal charges because they didn’t believe they could prove the cause beyond a reasonable doubt.