New Docuseries Reopens Cold Case of Philadelphia Teacher’s Death

PHILADELPHIA, PA — A new true-crime docuseries on Hulu titled Death in Apartment 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg? premiered on September 29, reigniting interest in the mysterious 2011 death of Philadelphia schoolteacher Ellen Greenberg.

Greenberg, 27, was found with 20 stab wounds in her apartment kitchen. The case has been fraught with controversy, initially ruled a suicide by police after her fiancé, Samuel Goldberg, reported he had to break down the locked door to reach her. However, the Medical Examiner’s Office later reclassified it as a homicide based on autopsy findings, only to reverse the decision again.

Her parents, Joshua and Sandra Greenberg, have spent over a decade seeking justice and a new investigation into their daughter’s death. An upcoming hearing is scheduled for October 14 to review the Medical Examiner’s Office’s reinvestigation of the case.

The series delves into the circumstances surrounding Greenberg’s death and features interviews with her family, friends, and journalists, including Stephanie Farr from The Inquirer, who has helped shed light on the case. Showrunner Nancy Schwartzman emphasized the importance of sticking to the facts throughout the series.

“I get to visually immerse you, but we’re all sticking to the facts here,” Schwartzman said. “Those facts wouldn’t have come to life without the work of the journalists.”

The documentary includes uncensored images from the crime scene, aiming to illustrate the brutality of Greenberg’s death and challenge the narrative that it was a suicide. Schwartzman pointed out that the violent nature of the crime makes the suicide ruling hard to accept.

“Twenty stab wounds is what experts call ‘overkill,’” Schwartzman added. “I think audiences need to see what this looks like.”

Produced by ABC News Studios in collaboration with Lewellan Pictures, Lionsgate Alternative Television, and Tanbark Pictures, the docuseries comprises three episodes, available for streaming on Hulu.