Naman Shrestha
A retired art dealer named Clifford “Cliff” Lambert went missing in late 2008, and his remains were found almost a decade later in 2016, buried in a shallow grave. In between, the authorities investigated his sudden disappearance, which soon led them to a deadly plot and multiple perpetrators who brought it to life. The entire case and its investigation are explored in a detailed manner in the episode titled ‘The Prince, The Whiz Kid & The Millionaire’ of NBC’s ‘Dateline,’ which features insightful interviews from the loved ones of Cliff and the officials linked to the case.
Cliff Lambert’s Remains Were Discovered Off a Mountainside in LA Years Later After His Disappearance
Born on January 22, 1934, in Missouri, to Glennie May German and Hugh Wade Lambert, Clifford Edward “Cliff” Lambert was seemingly raised in a loving household along with his siblings, Betty Lambert and Hugh W. Lambert Jr. By finding a way to duplicate master artworks, he earned recognition and prominence in the world of art. By the mid-1990s, he got into a relationship with a man named Travis Hobbs. Several years later, in the 2000s, he began working as a go-go dancer in Palm Springs, where he lived with Travis at 317 Camino Norte. In April 2006, the relationship between Cliff and Travis deteriorated to the point that the latter moved out of the house and severed ties with him. According to reports, their neighbors had called the authorities on multiple occasions during the feuds between the couple.
When 35-year-old Travis passed away suddenly in 2007, Cliff was taken over by loneliness. He then created an online dating profile and met Daniel “Danny” Garcia in 2008. After a few months of dating him, the retired art dealer suddenly went missing in December 2008. When one of his friends couldn’t reach out to Cliff for days, he reported him missing to the authorities on December 7. It wasn’t until several years later, in 2016, that some of his remains, including a jawbone, were found buried along Templin Highway in Castaic by pipeline workers. About a year later, his skull was also discovered, allowing the authorities to confirm that the remains belonged to Cliff Lambert. As per reports, he was attacked in his Palm Springs residence on December 5, 2008, and then buried at the site.
Cliff Lambert’s Murder Stemmed From a Deadly Scheme Involving Multiple People
While investigating the sudden disappearance of Cliff Lambert, the authorities dug deep into his personal and professional life in order to identify the possible suspects. Upon scrutinizing the relationship between Cliff and Danny Garcia, the detectives learned that when the latter suggested investing in his business plan during a meeting in Palm Springs, Cliff not only accused Danny of wanting an investor, not a romantic partner, but he also refused the proposal and made him leave. Investigators later discovered that Danny had stolen his credit card information and used it to upgrade his flight ticket to first class. After that, as asserted by the prosecution, Danny orchestrated a murder plot with Kaushal Niroula to kill Cliff and defraud him.
The duo also added four more people to their elaborate plot, including David Replogle, Miguel Bustamante, Russell Herbert Manning, and Craig McCarthy. Posing as an attorney, Kaushal called Cliff and told him that he had inherited a large sum of money. They met on December 4, 2008, at Dink’s Restaurant while Kaushal’s accomplices, Miguel and Craig, broke into Cliff’s house and were allegedly waiting to kill him. However, when that plan didn’t go through, Kaushal set up yet another meeting with Cliff the next night, but this time at the latter’s house. The posing attorney managed to excuse himself and opened a side door to let Miguel and Craig into the house. As per court records, the intruders ambushed the retired art dealer and stabbed him to death with kitchen knives in the presence of Kaushal.
Per investigative evidence, once they were done cleaning the crime scene, the trio wrapped him in a rug and placed him into the truck of his own Mercedes. They disposed of the remains in a remote area inside a shallow grave that they dug. Soon after his death, David Replogle made the most of his position as a licensed attorney to forge power of attorney documents, allowing the killers to transfer over $185,000 from Cliff’s accounts. They also tried to sell his property by meeting with a couple of real estate agents. Eventually, the police found enough evidence against all six accomplices and charged David, Kaushal, Daniel, Russell, Craig, and Miguel with their involvement in the murder of Cliff Lambert. Four of them, including Daniel and Kaushal, were charged with murder, conspiracy, grand theft, and more.
Kaushal Niroula Passed Away Before His Resentencing Hearing
On June 25, 2012, Kaushal Niroula stood trial for his involvement in the murder of Cliff Lambert and represented himself. About a couple of months later, on September 7, he was found guilty of the charges against him. Finally, on December 14, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, when he made some shocking claims while filing an appeal several years later, his conviction and sentencing were thrown out. While awaiting his retrial and resentencing at the Cois Byrd Detention Center, 41-year-old Kaushal was attacked and strangled to death by a fellow inmate on September 6, 2022.
Danny Garcia is Currently Incarcerated at a California Prison Facility
Daniel “Danny” Carlos Garcia was tried alongside Kaushal Niroula in the summer of 2012. Like his accomplice, Daniel represented himself and faced the same fate as he was also found guilty on September 7. The following month, he was given a life imprisonment sentence without the possibility of parole. Daniel was also granted a retrial, but this time he was represented by a lawyer. Before the new trial, he claimed that he had a rare genetic disorder that made him extremely sensitive to sunlight.
In 2023, the retrial didn’t change the verdict for him as he was convicted of one count each of murder, conspiracy to commit a crime, using the personal identity information of another to obtain credit, and using a forged instrument. On top of that, he was also found guilty of three felony counts of burglary, two of grand theft over $950, and one misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property. On April 25, 2025, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in addition to two years for his crimes. As of today, 43-year-old Daniel Carlos Garcia is serving his sentence at California State Prison, Corcoran in Corcoran, California.
David Replogle is Serving His Sentence at a California Prison Facility
Just like his other accomplices, David Replogle was also convicted of being involved in the murder of Cliff Lambert. However, he was also offered a retrial due to judicial misconduct in the first trial. His retrial took place in 2022, which also resulted in him being found guilty of eight felonies, including first-degree murder, criminal conspiracy, burglary, grand theft, identity theft, and forgery. After the unfavorable verdict, David and his defense counsel appealed to get a new trial by filing multiple motions, but the court denied all of them. Finally, on July 18, 2025, the former San Francisco lawyer was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Currently, the 76-year-old killer is incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California.
Read More: Josh Missiledine Murder: Where Are Christopher Shields and Germaine Strickland Now?
You must be logged in to post a comment.