This episode sponsored by June’s Journey! We conclude our look at the death of Ellen Greenberg and share our thoughts and theories.
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The Prosecutors Podcast 
I’m so glad you guys covered this! The bathroom towel throws me off. The theory that she was able to get different angled stab wounds by switching hands- all while not getting a speck of blood on the towel in her hand. Whether it was murder or suicide, it was violent. 20 stab wounds and no blood on that towel… 🤔
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Can’t stop thinking about this. Definitely believe they had a fight, perhaps the hesitation marks are a result of self harm, he brought her the towel to clean up. The fight continued to escalate until he stabbed her?
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Alice’s theory (as always) is spot on! The 20 stab wounds on the back of the neck SHOULD be evidence of murder right there. The situation you presented is very believable and likely. Especially that she fought back for the first time now that she had some help with the medication which put Sam off guard. Bret makes great points too that it was likely not planned. And Sam definately stormed off in his boots to the gym in his panic in not knowing what to do. Likely able to clean up evidence in his half hour “work out”. What is keeping me up at night is that he gets to go on living as a free man. And that the police care more about covering up their own mistakes then holding him accountable??? Maybe someone should remind them of their law enforcement oath of honor ” On my honor, I will never Betray my integrity, my character Or the public trust. I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions. I will always maintain the highest ethical standards and uphold the values of my community, and the agency I serve”.
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This was fascinating. Thank you for sharing so fully. I have just a few thoughts about theories. I tend to agree with Alice that it’s likely a murder because of the extent and positioning of the wounds, but the lack of DNA on the knife (assuming it was the same knife that inflicted the initial wounds that was left in her chest) would go against the theory that this was a spur of the moment rage killing. Unless it was planned, it would be unlikely that the killer would be wearing gloves. Of course, as in Alice’s theory, the killer could have taken the knife from her and inflicted the neck/spinal wound as she’s bent over in a head lock. That was the rage part of the act. Then, when he saw what he did, and she was unable to move, he had to do something to cover it up. A change of knife and/or gloves would be required to cover the mixed dna. Hesitation wounds could be explained as the difference between an impulsive act versus a deliberate stabbing. And then, once he was fully committed, the wounds got more decisive. Had she been suicidal, she likely had enough pills to do the job properly without this bizarre stabbing situation. I don’t buy suicide at all.
Regarding the relationship between Sam and Ellen. Maybe she really loved Sam, which is why she was so glowing in her descriptions of him to her psychiatrist. What if her anxiety and mental health issues (whether about her job or something else) were starting to affect their relationship and because of that, she became frantic to “get better.” Women will go to great lengths to do whatever it takes to please/keep the love of their lives. If Sam was sick of the issues being caused by her mental health (which would have fed the anxiety as well), and she was desperate to fix the problem, I could see her hounding the doctor until she found the right fit; not because she was suicidal, but because she really wanted to keep Sam. As far as the google searches. Do we even know if she was the one who made them? Just because a killing was spur of the moment, doesn’t mean it (and a possible cover-up/alternative motive) hadn’t been considered prior to the time of the actual killing.
I don’t know what happened, but I’m very angry and sad that the police didn’t properly investigate this tragedy. How in the world could anyone, let alone trained law enforcement personnel, walk into that scene and almost immediately agree with a romantic partner (of all people) that a woman stabbed this many times had killed herself? Even Barney Fife wouldn’t have come to that conclusion. If Sam killed her, he should pay. But if he had nothing to do with it, he should have his name cleared and whoever did this should pay.
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