The political landscape is abuzz with speculation as Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, announced her intention to campaign in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, alongside an as-yet-unnamed running mate.
Many political pundits have suggested that Pennsylvania's Democratic Governor, Josh Shapiro, may be her choice. However, Shapiro's Jewish heritage and his support for Israel could potentially alienate the party's radical base. A more significant threat to the campaign, however, could be a 2011 case that is now headed to the state supreme court.
Ellen Greenberg, a 27-year-old first-grade teacher at Juniata Park Academy, was found dead in her apartment in Manayunk in 2011. She shared the apartment with her fianc, Sam Goldberg. The Philadelphia Assistant Medical Examiner, Marlon Osbourne, discovered her body with a knife in her chest, lying on the kitchen floor. Osbourne reported 20 stab and slash wounds, with half of them located at the back of her neck and head.
"Philadelphia Medical Examiner Marlon Osbourne initially ruled her death a homicide," NPR reports, "noting the large number of stab wounds, including 10 to the back of her neck. After police publicly challenged the findings, Osbourne switched the ruling to suicide without explanation."
Despite the outcry that Greenberg's death was a homicide, the case was ruled a suicide. Then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro supported this ruling when the case came to his attention. The Greenberg family has been tirelessly advocating for the reclassification of her death as a homicide, citing evidence that supports their claim.
On Tuesday, it was announced that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court would finally hear the Greenberg family's arguments to reclassify the case as a homicide. As reported by CBS, the justices will consider whether the executors and administrators of an estate have the standing to challenge a death certificate's finding. This ruling could impact the ability to collect victim's compensation, receive restitution through a wrongful death suit, or submit a criminal complaint.
However, the legal process could extend over a year, and the investigation is currently in the hands of the Chester County DA's Office due to conflicts in Philadelphia and with the state Attorney Generals office. In an interview with WHP-TV, attorney Joe Podraza questioned, "Whether coroners and medical examiners have absolute power, or can they be challenged when the evidence shows they are not only mistaken, but grossly mistaken." A petition on Change.org, signed by over 160,000 people, is calling for Greenberg's death certificate to be changed to a homicide.
According to court documents, there was a concerted effort by the Philadelphia Police Department, Osbourne's superior, and a representative from the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office to persuade Osbourne to change his initial ruling of homicide to suicide. This change was made, despite A&E later questioning how someone could inflict 20 stab wounds on themselves.
Ellens parents, Josh and Sandee Greenberg, have been battling the city of Philadelphia to change the manner of their daughters death back to homicide. During a 2021 deposition, former Philadelphia Assistant Medical Examiner Dr. Lindsey Emery testified that she had reviewed a city-retained piece of Ellen Greenbergs spinal column in 2019 at the request of Chief Medical Examiner Sam Gulino. In her opinion, at least two of the stab wounds occurred post-mortem.
When the Greenbergs attorneys informed then-Pennsylvania Attorney General Shapiro of the new testimony, his office responded in a letter that they had reviewed the case and still supported a finding of suicide. However, journalist Gavin Fish has pointed out many details of the case that conflict with these findings. On January 26, 2011, Greenbergs fianc Sam Goldberg called 911 to report that Ellen was lying on the floor with blood everywhere at approximately 6:31 pm.
Fish reports that Goldberg told investigators he had left their sixth-floor apartment about 45 minutes earlier to go to the gym on the buildings first floor. When he returned, he found the door locked from the inside with a swing bar lock. Unable to reach Ellen by phone, text, email, or shouting, he broke open the door and found Ellens body on the kitchen floor.
Fish's source, confirmed by a letter from the Goldberg familys attorneys, revealed that Goldberg called his cousin, Kamian Schwartzman, at 6:14 pm, a call that lasted for approximately five minutes. During the next seven minutes, Sam missed multiple calls from his uncle, James Schwartzman. At 6:26 pm, James Schwartzman tried calling again, and Sam finally answered the phone.
Kamian and James Schwartzman, both lawyers, were at the apartment building sometime that evening, possibly as early as 6:34 pm, before first responders arrived. However, they claimed in a letter to Fish that they arrived with their father closer to 7:30.
"Her body was slumped against a kitchen cabinet in a seated position. However, an attorney for Ellen's parents said in court Tuesday that her body had been moved," PennLive reported in 2024, in the lead-up to the high court taking the case.
James Schwartzman is a prominent figure in the same political and social circles as Josh Shapiro. According to his firms website, Schwartzman is the chair of the Ethics and Professional Responsibility Group, a former Assistant US Attorney, and was appointed to be a judge on the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline by Governor Tom Wolf. He was elected as the President Judge of the Court of Judicial Discipline in 2019 and sat on the board of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority for 19 years.
The day after Ellen Greenberg was found dead, James Schwartzman and another unidentified person returned to the apartment to retrieve a suit for Goldberg to wear to Ellen Greenbergs funeral. However, Fish reports that they also took her personal laptop, her work laptop, another laptop, and her cell phone from the apartment, which was now a crime scene. According to a property receipt, Philadelphia Police retrieved the electronics from Schwartzman two days later.
Josh Shapiro and Schwartzmans daughter Kimberly Kimby Schwartzman Kimmel attended school together, and Shapiro referred to Mrs. Kimmel and her husband as friends." The Schwartzmans have also donated to Shapiros political campaigns. On Friday, July 15, 2022, three days later, Shapiros office told ABC 6 that the case would be referred out due to the perception of a conflict of interest.
The controversy surrounding this case and the potential conflict of interest could pose significant challenges for Shapiro if he is indeed chosen as Harris's running mate. The conservative perspective would argue for a thorough investigation and accountability, upholding the principles of justice and the rule of law.
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