The former fiancé of Ellen Greenberg was reportedly spotted on the streets of New York City just days after it emerged that the investigation into the Philadelphia teacher’s death has been reopened by federal authorities.
Sam Goldberg, 43, was seen wearing a black jacket, gray sweatpants and beanie as he departed his $1.88 million Manhattan apartment, which he shares with his wife and two children, according to the Daily Mail.
Goldberg reportedly remained tight-lipped and refused to answer questions regarding the news that federal prosecutors have recently moved to reopen the investigation into the 2011 death of Greenberg, who was found with 23 stab wounds.
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“It’s very good news in that it takes things out of the state of Philadelphia, which we cannot trust, and places it in the hands of the federal government,” Greenberg’s mother, Sandee Greenberg, told the Daily Mail.
“There’s been so much corruption they need fresh eyes on it,” she added. “It’s been a very long time coming. January 26 will be 15 years but we’re gaining momentum and Ellen knows.”
The case made headlines after Goldberg discovered 27-year-old Greenberg with over 20 stab wounds covering her body, including to the back of her head and her heart.
The circumstances surrounding Greenberg’s death have fueled debate for years, with investigators pointing to the fact that her body was discovered inside a locked apartment that had been forced open by Goldberg after she failed to respond.
Her death was initially ruled a homicide, but reclassified as a suicide in 2011 when assistant medical examiner Dr. Marlon Osbourne changed the manner of death after meeting with Philadelphia Police investigators.
Goldberg has never been named a suspect or been accused of any crime in connection to Greenberg’s death.
Following the release of a Hulu documentary shedding fresh light on the case in October 2025, Goldberg said that he had been “screwed over” by the film, including his 911 call when he found his fiancée’s body, in which he told authorities she “fell on a knife.”
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“Yeah I have been. It’s awful and it sucks,” he told the Mail. “But I have nothing else to say.”
Last month, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania requested documents relating to the case from the Philadelphia Police Department and other agencies, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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However, federal authorities are reportedly not expected to look into the ruling that Greenberg’s death was a suicide, but instead will look into the possibility of criminal corruption among local officials at the time of the investigation.
In 2022, Greenberg’s family filed a lawsuit against the city over the handling of the investigation into her death.
In 2023, Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court acknowledged that errors were made in the investigation, but opted to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Greenberg’s family looking to change her official manner of death.
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Last year, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office reaffirmed its decision to classify Greenberg’s death as a suicide, in a significant blow to her family, according to People.
In a ruling, the court reportedly conceded it had “no choice under the law” to have the manner of death changed, but admitted, “This court is acutely aware of the deeply flawed investigation of the victim’s death by the City of Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) detectives, the City of Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office (DAO), and the MEO [Medical Examiner’s Office].”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital was unable to immediately reach Goldberg for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this report.
