Florida Man Confessed to Fatally Stabbing Victim in ‘Violent’ 1997 Murder: Police

• Stephen Edenfield was brutally stabbed to death in his Tampa, Fla., condo on Feb. 1, 1997, and his case remained cold for nearly 30 years
• In 2022, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reopened the case, and used the DNA found at the crime scene to help identify the suspect
• In early 2025, authorities found evidence that traced Brandon Gliha to the murder. He then confessed to the crime on Monday, Feb. 24

Florida man Brandon Gliha confessed to murdering Stephen Edenfield in 1997, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) Monday, Feb. 24 news release.

Edenfield, who was 41 when he was fatally stabbed and beaten, was found inside his Tampa, Fla., condo on Feb. 1, 1997. Now, 28 years later, Gliha, 47, has confessed to the murder.

Before his confession, the HCSO Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation in 2022. It worked with forensic genetic genealogy company Othram Labs to develop a comprehensive DNA profile for an unknown suspect. As a result, forensic research used that profile to find new investigative leads, per CBS News.

Two years later, in 2024, “forensic analysis identified a previously unknown DNA profile, linking the case to an unsolved 2005 sexual assault in Illinois,” per the HCSO. Then, on Wednesday, Feb. 5, Gliha was arrested on an Illinois forgery warrant.

Following the Illinois arrest, the HCSO Cold Case Unit investigators interviewed him, which is when he confessed to Edenfield’s murder, per HCSO. Additionally, the team took another DNA sample from him and found he was a contributor to the DNA found on the socks from the crime scene, per Tampa Bay Times.

On Monday, Feb. 24, he was charged with first-degree murder and robbery with a deadly weapon. He is being held at a Falkenburg Road Jail without bond.

The day before Edenfield was murdered, he, his sister and brother got dinner together on Jan. 31, 1997. After he returned to his Tampa condo, he left once more around midnight that night and returned home again around 12:50 a.m. on Feb. 1, per CBS News.

Once back at the complex, Edenfield spoke to the security guard because he did not have his remote to enter the complex. He told the security guard that the driver of the car behind him was also with him, and the security guard let both cars in. However, security did not get a good look at who was in the other car.

Within an hour of Edenfield’s return, his neighbors heard “violence in the house” and “calls for help,” CBS News reports.

Gliha told investigators during his interview that a person named “Chino” picked him up in his car, and they met Edenfield before following him to his condo. Gliha alleged that Chino set him up to have sex with Edenfield. He said that Chino and Edenfield argued about payment in the bedroom.

Gliha claimed he took a porcelain statue and threw it at Edenfield. Edenfield pushed Gliha, who then punched him. Chino then approached from behind and stabbed him with a knife, Gliha alleged, per Tampa Bay Times.

Gliha “continuously advised he did not stab or touch the victim in any manner, aside from throwing the statue at the back of the victim’s head and punching him once, that would result in him having any blood on him,” according to court records, per Tampa Bay Times.

Around 2 a.m., the security guard made rounds of the complex and saw a “dark shadow” near Edenfield’s apartment. The guard realized it was a person but did not see their face. He lost sight of them, but then saw them leave the complex in their car.

The next day, his brother James went to Stephen’s apartment after he did not arrive at their mother’s house. There, he found Stephen dead, covered in blood, in his bed under a blanket. He also saw that Stephen’s bedroom was covered in blood, and “Greed” was written on Edenfield’s bedroom wall in blood. 

The initial investigation did not lead to any arrests. And on Tuesday, Feb. 25, an HCSO spokesperson said the office “is not investigating any other individuals in relation to this crime.”

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“For 28 years, Stephen Edenfield’s family has waited for answers. Today, we can finally give them some measure of peace,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister in the news release. “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.”

James, 72, said he was “shocked” to learn of the confession. “I wasn’t expecting it to happen in my lifetime,” per Tampa Bay Times. “But, you know, I guess it’s like I told them, what goes around comes around.”