TAMPA, Fla. (TCN) — Officials recently arrested a man who allegedly beat and fatally stabbed another man nearly three decades ago.
According to the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office, on Feb. 1, 1997, authorities found Stephen Edenfield deceased in his home with “evidence of a violent struggle but no forced entry” and the word “greed” written in blood on the victim’s bedroom wall. Investigators were unable to identify a suspect at the time, and the case went cold for years.
The sheriff’s office reopened the case in 2022 and collaborated with genetic genealogy company Othram Labs in the hope of solving Edenfield’s death. Two years later, forensic analysis identified a previously unknown DNA profile connected to a separate unsolved sexual assault in Illinois in 2005. Officials arrested the suspect, identified as 47-year-old Brandon Gliha, for an unrelated warrant in Illinois in February 2025. During an interview, he reportedly admitted to killing Edenfield.
While he was in custody, authorities charged Gliha on Feb. 24 for first-degree murder with a weapon and robbery with a deadly weapon less than $750 in connection with the cold case.
In a statement, Sheriff Chad Chronister said, “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.”