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Florida Man Confesses to 1997 Murder, Bringing Closure to Cold Case
A man in Florida has admitted to the murder of another individual dating back to 1997, finally resolving a cold case that had remained unsolved for over 25 years, law enforcement officials announced.
Stephen Edenfield was discovered inside his condominium in Tampa on February 1, 1997, showing signs of having been both stabbed and beaten, according to a statement released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in a recent announcement.
Prior to his death, Edenfield had been out on two occasions, as detailed by cold case investigator Dan Bendig during an episode of “Unfinished Business,” a podcast from the sheriff’s office. Edenfield dined with his siblings before he left the complex again just before midnight on January 31, returning home around 12:50 a.m. that morning.
After arriving back, Edenfield spoke briefly with a security guard outside the complex; he had forgotten the remote to activate the gate. He informed the guard that the vehicle behind him contained an associate. The security guard permitted both cars through but did not recognize the driver of the second vehicle.
According to Bendig, soon after Edenfield returned home, neighbors began reporting disturbances. “Violence in the house” and “calls for help” were heard, and three neighbors confirmed they witnessed a significant altercation occurring nearby. Around 2 a.m., while conducting routine patrols, the security guard noticed a “dark shadow” around Edenfield’s apartment but could not identify the individual involved.
The following day, Edenfield’s brother discovered him deceased in his apartment. Evidence of a fierce struggle was present, including the word “Greed” inscribed in blood on a bedroom wall, yet investigators found no signs of forced entry. An initial inquiry yielded no arrests.
In 2022, the sheriff’s Cold Case Unit decided to revisit the investigation. They collaborated with Othram Labs, a company specializing in forensic genetic genealogy, which utilized evidence from the original investigation to generate a detailed DNA profile of an unidentified suspect. This profile was subsequently employed to locate new leads for the investigation, as stated by Othram Labs in their report.
In early 2024, the forensic search linked the newly created DNA profile to an unresolved sexual assault case from 2005 in Illinois, ultimately identifying Brandon Gliha as a suspect in that case.
Authorities directed their investigation towards Gliha, aged 47, who has been residing in Tampa. Around this time, he had been taken into custody in Illinois on related charges prior to being linked to Edenfield’s murder, as confirmed by a sheriff’s office spokesperson to CBS News.
Following this connection, the investigators from the Cold Case Unit interviewed Gliha at a police facility, where he confessed to Edenfield’s murder. On Monday, he was formally charged with first-degree murder and robbery using a deadly weapon. Current records indicate he is being detained in a local jail in Tampa, and no bond has yet been established.
Edenfield’s family has experienced profound loss, with his sister, who had shared a dinner with him on the night before his death, having passed away prior to Gliha’s arrest. Fortunately, his brother, who found Edenfield’s body, was alive to witness this recent development in the case, as reported by local media .
In the announcement, Sheriff Chad Chronister expressed, “For 28 years, Stephen Edenfield’s family has waited for answers. Today, we can finally give them some measure of peace. No family should have to endure this kind of pain for so long. While nothing can erase the loss they have suffered, we hope knowing that justice has been served brings them comfort.”
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