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Marlon Osbourne is a former pathologist at the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office and has most recently overturned his finding in Ellen Greenberg’s controversial 2011 death.
Ellen Greenberg, a 27-year-old teacher, had been discovered in her apartment with 20 stab wounds to her chest, neck, and head. Yet, the case was ultimately designated as a suicide, a designation her family has battled for a decade.
Dr. Marlon Osbourne is a forensic pathologist who has held positions in various medical examiner offices in the United States. Though not much is known about him online, he completed his bachelor's in Biology from Rutgers University in New Jersey.
He later went on to attain his MD from Rutgers Medical College. According to his LinkedIn profile, Osbourne now works as an Associate Medical Examiner and also as a Director of Medical Education.
As per People Magazine, the original autopsy of Ellen Greenberg was performed in 2011 by Dr. Marlon Osbourne. Initially, he deemed her death a homicide, based on the number and severity of stab wounds. But weeks later, after pressure from law enforcement, Osbourne revised the ruling to suicide.
The Philadelphia Police Department had said that there was no evidence of forced entry and that only Greenberg’s DNA was found on the knife that was used in her stabbing.
This change in classification prompted years of legal battles brought by Greenberg’s parents, Joshua and Sandee Greenberg, who claimed that their daughter had been murdered. Now, more than 10 years later, Osbourne has filed a new sworn statement in which he concedes that he got it wrong.
In his declaration, he explains that new evidence and additional analyses have changed his opinion, and he now believes that Ellen’s manner of death should be classified as something other than suicide.
Legal and Medical Challenges and recent settlement agreement regarding Ellen Greenberg’s death
Ellen Greenberg was discovered with multiple stab wounds, including the back of her neck, an area where self-inflicted injuries are rare.
Greenberg’s fiancé, Samuel Goldberg, found her body when he returned home and said he had been locked out of their apartment because a swing bar lock had been engaged from inside. Yet, authorities did not suspect Goldberg and did little to no inquiry into him.
Furthermore, according to many online reports, the knife that was used to stab Ellen Greenberg was never fingerprinted, and there were allegations that signs of a struggle were missed.
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The Greenbergs filed several legal actions to overturn the suicide ruling and compel authorities to reopen the case. In 2024, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania granted an appeal to hear the cause of Greenberg’s death, paving the way for a civil suit in early 2025. But just before the start of the trial, Marlon Osbourne filed his statement reversing his stance.
The city of Philadelphia eventually settled two lawsuits with Greenberg’s parents. In addition, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office would conduct an independent review of the autopsy file as part of the agreement. The Greenbergs have also received an undisclosed monetary settlement.
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