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Twenty stab wounds, a locked apartment, and a Hulu documentary that convinced almost everyone it was murder. We took the harder road: slowing down, cross-checking the autopsy findings, scene photos, surveillance timestamps, and medical records to ask what the evidence really shows—and why it might point in a direction most people don’t want to consider.

We start with the timeline and the door. The swing-latch wasn’t magically intact; it was displaced in a way that makes mechanical sense when a door is rammed, allowing it to open without ripping the hardware free. The 911 call confusion? Add stress, a partially obscured knife handle, and a four-minute video timestamp variance, and the “gotchas” fade. Then we dig into the wounds: many superficial punctures, one fatal chest wound, and no defensive injuries. The blood is localized, with no true castoff you’d expect from a rapid, repeated stabbing in a struggle. A tipped butcher block sits inches from an undisturbed fruit bowl and coffee pot—hard to square with a chaotic assault in tight quarters.

The biggest twist comes from the medical and behavioral context. Ellen had newly started clonazepam and zolpidem, both associated with increased suicidality, dissociation, and rare parasomnias early in treatment. Co-workers described acute anxiety and obsessive rumination that day. Forensic literature documents self-stabbings with multiple shallow “test” wounds before a fatal thrust. The debated “spinal cord” injury? A later review suggests a round autopsy probe likely caused the minor dural puncture, consistent with the lack of hemorrhage at that site. When you stack these elements—mechanics, blood dynamics, wound profiles, psychological factors—the pattern aligns with suicide, not homicide.

We don’t dismiss the family’s grief or the frustration triggered by a thin initial investigation. Poor scene documentation invited speculation and internet certainty. But certainty should live or die on facts, not edits. Listen for a careful walk-through of what’s in the record and why our conclusion differs from the viral narrative. If this challenges your view, lean in with us. Then tell us what you think, where we’re wrong, and what evidence would change your mind.

If this deep dive resonates, follow the show, share with a friend who’s true-crime-savvy, and leave a review with your take—we’ll read the best ones on air.

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