FL FL- Stephen Edenfield, 41, fatally stabbed @ home, possibly after date w. 'Carlos', his solid gold ID bracelet stolen, Tampa, 1997, *New initiative*

[dotr]

Author: Parisa Akbarpour April 16, 2024 rbbm

Detectives ask for public's help in solving decades-old cold case

41-year-old Stephen Edenfield was murdered in his Tampa apartment in 1997. Investigators say his killer took a custom-made bracelet, and they want to track it down.

www.wtsp.com

''41-year-old Stephen Edenfield was murdered in his Tampa apartment in 1997. Investigators say his killer took a custom-made bracelet, and they want to track it down.''

''In a renewed effort to solicit tips from the community, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office posted photos of Stephen Edenfield, who was stabbed to death in his apartment at 41 years old in 1997. The agency specifically pointed out a solid gold identification bracelet, which they say his killer stole after the murder.''

''Edenfield's brother, his last surviving relative, told detectives their mother had the bracelets custom-made for each sibling. It features a double chain on each side, a double clasp underneath and a plate with Stephen's name engraved on it.''

''In an episode of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office's cold case podcast, Unfinished Business, Special Investigator Joseph Dominick said most of that difficulty was because, as a gay man in the 90s, Stephen kept his dating life very private, even from his family.''

''This person told them Stephen mentioned he was dating someone called "Carlos," who he may have been seeing in the past''
''Then, at 2 a.m., as the security guard was doing his rounds through the complex, he told investigators he saw a person's silhouette ducked behind a railing near Stephen's apartment. Soon after, he saw a dark sedan leave the complex.''

Credit: HCSO/Facebook
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office posted a cropped photo of Stephen Edelfield's gold bracelet, which they say his killer stole from his body.

 

[HmmMysterious]

I wonder if this "Carlos" only dated Stephen just to steal his gold bracelet. It also wouldn't shock me if "Carlos" wasn't into men at all and just wanted to take advantage of him

 

[MadMcGoo]

Several very specific clues in Stephen’s case. Hopefully people share HCSO’s Facebook post and the right person sees it.

 

[dotr]

After 28 years, Stephen Edenfield's Killer is Identified

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Teams with Othram to Identify the Suspect in the 1997 Murder of Stephen Edenfield

dnasolves.com

''In a significant breakthrough, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) has arrested a suspect in the 1997 murder of Stephen Edenfield in Tampa, Florida. On February 1, 1997, Edenfield was found brutally stabbed and beaten in his home, with the word “Greed” written in blood on his bedroom wall. Despite extensive initial investigations, the case remained unsolved for nearly three decades.''

''The suspect, now living in Tampa, was arrested on an unrelated warrant out of Illinois in February of 2025. Following that arrest, HCSO Cold Case investigators interviewed Brandon Gliha, 47, who confessed to Edenfield's murder. On February 24, 2025, Gliha was charged with first-degree murder with a weapon and robbery with a deadly weapon''

 

[DS2021]

Redirect Notice

After HCSO reopened the investigation in 2022, forensic analysis identified a previously unknown DNA profile, linking the case to an unsolved 2005 sexual assault in Illinois.

is this related to BG?

 

[DS2021]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1894175463460782496

𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗗𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗩𝗘𝗗

After nearly three decades, HCSO has solved the murder of Stephen Edenfield, who was murdered in his home on February 1, 1997.

In 2024, forensic analysis identified a previously unknown DNA profile, linking the case to an unsolved 2005 sexual assault in Illinois.

On February 24, 2025, after consultation with the State Attorney's Office, Brandon Gliha, 47, was charged with Murder in the First Degree with a Weapon (Premeditated) and Robbery with a Deadly Weapon Less than $750.

"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. "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."

 

[caradana]

I love forensic science. I love absolute closure.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The sheriff's office's Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation in 2022. The unit worked with Othram Labs, a forensic genetic genealogy company. Othram Labs said that it used forensic evidence from the initial investigation to develop a comprehensive DNA profile for an unknown suspect. That profile was then used in a forensic search to find new investigative leads, the company said.

In 2024, a forensic search found that the DNA profile was also linked to an unsolved 2005 sexual assault case in Illinois, the sheriff's office said. Brandon Gliha had been identified as a suspect in the case.

Police turned their attention to Gliha, now 47 and living in Tampa. They found he had been arrested on an Illinois forgery warrant just weeks before and was in custody, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office told CBS
Murder suspect confesses to decades-old Florida cold case after DNA leads to arrest, sheriff's office says

 

[LadyL]

once again, thank you Othram!