Murderer Wrote 'GREED' in Blood on Wall

After 28 years, it appeared that nothing would crack the Florida cold case of Stephen Edenfield's murder. But new DNA technology finally identified at least one of the men responsible for Edenfield's gruesome death... and provided Edenfield's remaining family with some measure of justice.

A Deeply Unusual Murder Goes Cold

On the morning of Feb. 1, 1997, James Edenfield went to his brother Stephen's condo in Tampa to look for him after he failed to show up at their mother's house. He found Stephen's body in bed, bloody and cold, and rushed to call 911.

Investigators arrived at the scene but had little to go on. The body was naked under a blanket with upper body wounds consistent with stabbing and blunt force trauma. The condo showed signs of a struggle, including pieces of a broken statue in the hallway. Blood stained the headboards. On one of the bedroom walls, written in blood, was a single word: GREED.

But there was little evidence indicating who would commit such a ghastly murder. The security guards at Stephen Edenfield's condominium complex noted that Edenfield had arrived home late the night before with guests, but they didn't get a good look at them. There was a blood-stained tank top, some blood-splattered socks, and a few missing items.

At the time, the police just didn't have enough to go on. So, the case went cold for 28 years.

But technology is constantly improving. And suddenly, this cold case became red hot again.

DNA Tracks Down the Killer

Advances in DNA testing enabled investigators in 2022 to identify that the tank top and socks found at the scene belonged to an unknown person. When that DNA was uploaded to the FBI database in late 2024, it was linked to a sexual assault case in Illinois from 2005 committed by a 47-year-old man named Brandon Gliha.

Authorities performed a DNA tested Gliha, already in custody for an unrelated forgery charge, against that found at the scene of Edenfield's murder. They got the match they were looking for.

Gliha was arrested for Edenfield's murder and confessed almost immediately.

What Happened That Night?

According to Gliha, he had been set up to meet Edenfield by a third man only identified as "Chino." Chino and Gliha followed Edenfield back to his condo, where Gliha and Edenfield were intimate.

According to Gliha, the encounter made him feel violated and angry. Afterward, allegedly Chino and Edenfield began arguing about payment. Gliha confessed he then threw a porcelain statue at Edenfield, which began a fight between the two men. During the fight, Chino came up behind Edenfield and stabbed him with a knife.

Chino wiped down the surfaces of the condo to prevent police from identifying them and stole a few items since Edenfield had refused to pay. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Gliha admitted to fighting Edenfield but he "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."

It remains somewhat unclear whether the enigmatic "Chino" was a real person or not. Local police have stated they are not investigating any other suspects in connection with the crime.

Small Comfort to the Family

Stephen Edenfield's mother and two sisters died long before police identified Edenfield and arrested him. Only Stephen's brother James, 72, survives. According to the Tampa Bay Times, he said "I wasn't expecting it to happen in my lifetime. But, you know, I guess it's like I told them, what goes around comes around."

He added that he did not prefer Gliha to be executed for his brother's murder but instead to spend the rest of his life rotting in prison.

For a man that has been waiting nearly 30 years for justice, death is not punish enough for his brother's killer.

References: Fla. Man Confessed to Fatally Stabbing Victim in 'Violent' 1997 Murder, Wrote 'Greed' in Blood on the Wall: Police | After 28 years, DNA leads to arrest in Hillsborough murder case | Murder suspect confesses to decades-old Florida cold case after DNA leads to arrest, sheriff's office says