Judge linked to teacher’s fiancé took belongings from police after ‘suicide’

The parents of Philadelphia teacher Ellen Greenberg are blasting the “unfair” 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 from a half-made scarf. . fruit salad on the counter.

Her parents want to know why her fiancé’s uncle, a prominent judge, was allowed to remove many items from the scene.

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

INVALID TEACHER’S “SUICIDE” SENTENCE IS CONSIDERED WHEN INTERNET PEOPLE VIEW SURVEILLANCE VIDEO

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

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

“The door was damaged and unsecured, and he removed items that he believed may have been 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 it from the outside. (Tom Brennan)

In response to Dr. Greenberg’s concerns about the “chain of custody” of his daughter’s devices, Schwartzman’s representative said: “In my 42 years of experience, the chain of custody is for items seized by the police, not items just taken. I just don’t understand how that applies to this particular situation, especially when the police cleared the scene and gave Mr. Schwartzman permission to go and retrieve his belongings.

He added that after the information about the incident was published, Schwartzman did not need the consent of Greenberg’s parents to take anything from the apartment.

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

‘Suicide’ verdict in teacher’s 20 stab wounds may be revisited as family safeguards potential for big win

This photo shows Ellen Greenberg in an undated family photo and in a computer-generated photo from the autopsy report that shows knives indicating where she was stabbed 20 times. (Greenberg family)

Still, Greenberg’s parents and seasoned outside investigators expressed concerns that police responded poorly and released the scene too soon. Last year, an appeals court panel sharply criticized the police, prosecutors and forensic pathologists who worked on the case, even though it was issued a judgment against the parents.

Schwartzman, a distinguished lawyer, was elected 2021 president of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Judicial Discipline Court, the court responsible for hearing judicial misconduct cases from across the state. For two years preceding his election, he was a judge of this court. He is also a partner and chairman of the Ethics and Professional Responsibility Group at Stevens & Lee, in accordance with the professional profile.

Neither Goldberg nor Schwartzman has been accused of any wrongdoing.

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

“I received a call from someone in Sam’s family. I think it might have been an uncle. They wanted to come to the apartment to collect a few personal items for the funeral. I immediately called the police to see what I could or could not do, and they told me there was no problem letting them in; it is no longer a crime scene,” Ware said.

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

“And then I asked: ‘So what’s the condition of the apartment like?’ since I wasn’t 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. They offered me to clean up the crime scene.”

Greenberg family attorney Joe Podraza called a company that came to clear the scene the day before police returned with a search warrant, according to appeals court documents. The knife found in Greenberg’s chest was never fingerprinted, and a second possible weapon was never found. Investigators did not use luminol, a chemical that detects blood, to examine the scene.

Greenberg, 27, was found on Jan. 6, 2011, with 20 stab wounds, including 10 in the back, at least one of which may have been inflicted after death, according to court documents. Her body was also covered in bruises in various stages of healing, her parents say are consistent with abuse.

Court documents show that after her death, the city’s medical examiner’s pathologist, Dr. Marlon Osbourne, ruled it a homicide. Then he changed course meeting with the police behind closed doors and officially ruled it a suicide.

SUSPECTED SCENE OF TEACHER’S CRIME IN PHILADELPHIA WAS CLEANED BEFORE POLICE ARRIVED WITH A SEARCH WARRANT

Ellen Greenberg as teacher (Ellen Greenberg family)

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

“I would like to see my daughter’s journal,” added Sandee Greenberg. “I would like her Ugg boots. I would like her glasses. “I don’t see any reason to hide these things from us if they insist it’s suicide.”

In addition to Ellen’s belongings, the Greenbergs claim that Philadelphia officials are withholding further surveillance footage from the day of their daughter’s death and a videotape Ware made of the scene before the cleanup.

Junior Ellen Greenberg smiles in an undated photo provided by her childhood friend and classmate from Penn State. (Friends of Ellen Greenberg)

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

Network detectives and family supporters from across the country spent hours watching surveillance footage from the apartment building’s lobby and hallways looking for clues.

Librarian he told PennLive that a man was seen on camera “hopping nervously around the lobby near the elevator before using ‘Kleenex to wipe up the blood’ for an unspecified injury.” She reportedly passed this information on to investigators.

SEE: Sam Goldberg, then fiancé of Ellen Greenberg, seen on surveillance footage from 2011

“The video is very interesting to me because I don’t know who the people in it are, whether they are residents or guests,” said Sandee Greenberg. “I wanted to have a 48-hour window of people coming and going in the building. I asked for the guest list. I didn’t understand it. They should not hide this information from us.”

“We are talking about a fragment of surveillance material that actually lasts several hours. Sandee and I never saw more than a snippet of the surveillance,” Dr. Josh Greenberg said.

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Since their daughter’s death, the Greenbergs have been engaged in legal battles with the government. They accused the medical examiner’s office of covering up their daughter’s murder, demanded that police produce more evidence, and tried to sue to replace the term “suicide” on the death certificate with “homicide” or “undetermined.”

WATCH “MYSTERY OF TEACHER’S DEATH” ON FOX NATION

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

“The Supreme Court will decide whether Sandee and I have standing to sue. This is a really big deal… I mean, no one has ever made it this far. … I know it took almost 14 years, but it’s still a very important case,” Dr. Greenberg said.

“I can’t wait for our voices to be heard,” Sandee said. “Not only are we now fighting for justice for Ellen, but with so much attention being paid to these various lawsuits, we hope this will set a precedent for other victims of heinous crimes.”

PHILADELPHIA SUICIDE DESIGNATION FOR WOMEN WITH 20 STAB WOUNDS, BRUISES, IGNORE EVIDENCE OF MURDER: EXPERTS

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

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

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Philadelphia police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Previously, they refused to discuss this topic, citing the so-called open investigation in Chester County and pending civil proceedings.

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 step into my shoes and experience the enormity of loss,” Sandee Greenberg said . “For Josh and I, this is a mission that we have because it is just, very wrong and unfair.”