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Who Was Clifford Lambert and What Happened to Him? 2025 Update & Background

Ryan Gill

Clifford Lambert was a man who, by many accounts, reinvented himself. Born in the Midwest, he worked his way into prominence through talent, charisma, and hard work. He made his fortune by developing a process for duplicating master artworks—a niche but profitable endeavor that eventually elevated him to a position of financial security and artistic credibility. Lambert wasn’t a household name, but within certain circles, particularly in California’s vibrant art scene, he was known as a self-made success.

By the mid-1990s, Lambert had settled in Palm Springs, California, a city synonymous with affluence, glamour, and LGBTQ+ acceptance. He embraced the lifestyle, becoming a local figure known for his theatrical personality, social generosity, and enthusiasm for the arts. Friends described him as kind, gregarious, and always dressed impeccably. Despite his wealth and prominence, Lambert remained emotionally vulnerable. The sudden death of his partner left a void in his life, and with advancing age and no immediate family, loneliness quietly set in.

Searching for Connection and Targeted for Deception

In the early 2000s, Lambert turned to online dating to seek companionship. This decision would ultimately lead him into the path of individuals who saw his loneliness—and wealth—as an opportunity. In 2008, he met Daniel Garcia through a dating website. Garcia was younger and ambitious. He pitched a business plan to Lambert during a visit to Palm Springs, but when Lambert declined to invest, he asked Garcia to leave.

What Lambert didn’t know was that Garcia wasn’t acting alone. Garcia was already in contact with Kaushal Niroula, a Nepalese-born conman who liked to call himself “The Prince.” The two men began hatching a plan not just to scam Lambert—but to eliminate him. With help from a disbarred attorney, David Replogle, and two accomplices, Miguel Bustamante and Craig McCarthy, they would orchestrate one of the most disturbing financial crimes in California’s recent history.

Betrayal and Murder

In November 2008, Niroula—pretending to be a lawyer—told Lambert he was set to inherit valuable artwork from a deceased collector. The offer was a lie, designed to draw him into signing legal documents that would transfer his assets. Lambert believed it.

On December 5, 2008, while Lambert was entertaining Niroula and Garcia in his home, Bustamante and McCarthy entered through the kitchen. Lambert was stabbed multiple times, rolled in a rug, and placed in the trunk of his own car. His body was driven north and buried in a shallow grave off a remote highway near Los Angeles.

The conspirators then drained Lambert’s accounts, forged power of attorney documents, and attempted to sell his Palm Springs home and art collection. When one of the accomplices returned with a moving truck to Lambert’s residence, suspicious neighbors called police. The conspiracy began to unravel, leading to arrests and eventually, murder charges.

A Long Road to Justice

Lambert’s body wasn’t discovered until 2016, when pipeline workers found a jawbone off Templin Highway. His skull was located in 2017, and the remains were positively identified in 2020—twelve years after his murder. His death triggered a series of high-profile trials, but the road to justice was long and painful.

In 2011 and 2012, four men—including Niroula, Garcia, Replogle, and Bustamante—were convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. But in 2020, those convictions were overturned after it was revealed that the judge in the original trials had made biased, homophobic remarks off the record. Retrials were ordered.

In the years that followed, the case became known not just for the crime itself but for the chaos in the courtroom and the slow wheels of justice. Niroula was murdered by a cellmate in 2022 while awaiting retrial. Garcia and Replogle were convicted again in 2023 and 2025, respectively, and sentenced to life without parole. Bustamante was reconvicted in 2023 and is serving a life sentence.

Remembering Clifford Lambert

For those who knew Lambert, the years since his disappearance have been filled with grief, frustration, and a lack of closure. Friends like Eddie Mullikin and Steven Kilcullen continued to fight for justice and keep his memory alive. They recall not just the man who was taken from them, but the joy he brought to their lives—the dinners, the jokes, the enduring sense of elegance he maintained.

Lambert’s murder wasn’t just a personal tragedy—it became a symbol of how vulnerable people, particularly older LGBTQ+ individuals, can be targeted by predatory schemes. His case remains a cautionary tale about trust, online relationships, and the depths of human deceit.

More than 15 years after his death, Clifford Lambert is remembered not for the way he died, but for the remarkable life he lived. His story continues to resonate, not only as a crime but as a call for justice, accountability, and compassion.

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