Cliff Lambert's disappearance case on Dateline: A detailed case overview

Dateline NBC airs the two-hour special titled The Prince, The Whiz Kid & The Millionaire on October 10, 2025, at 9/8c. The episode explores the tragic case of Clifford “Cliff” Lambert, a retired art dealer from Palm Springs, California, who disappeared in December 2008.

Lambert, a self-made millionaire, was a community leader due to his love of art and social connections. His disappearance would eventually unravel a plot that would shock the public and become known as the "gay grifters" murder.

The Dateline episode goes into more depth about Lambert's case and focuses on the con artists who were responsible for his sad death. Kaushal Niroula, Daniel Garcia, and David Replogle were some of the people who killed the man.

This episode airs on NBC on October 10, 2025. This episode also talks about the ongoing court battles. Some of the criminals are still asking for new trials. It presents the case and the dangers of relationships and money deals, especially in the LGBTQ+ community.

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A detailed discussion about Cliff Lambert's disappearance case on Dateline

A detailed discussion about Dateline’s Cliff Lambert's disappearance case (Image via YouTube/@Dateline NBC)

Cliff Lambert went missing in December 2008, and his case became a public one involving lies, betrayals, and money plans. Lambert was a well-known figure in the art world in Palm Springs. He was a rich retired art dealer. Lambert’s life took a dark turn when he met Daniel Garcia, a man he believed he could have a romantic connection with.

However, their relationship was not based on genuine affection. After a brief romance, Garcia, feeling rejected, stole Lambert’s credit card and upgraded his flight to a first-class seat.

His anger over the situation grew, leading him to devise a plan to defraud and kill Lambert. Garcia partnered with Kaushal Niroula, who claimed to be a prince from Nepal. Together, they plotted the murder, recruiting a group of accomplices to help execute their plan.

Lambert was killed on December 5, 2008, when Garcia, Niroula, and their helpers sneaked up on him at home and killed him. The criminals struck him with kitchen knives and killed him very badly.

His body was rolled in a rug, transported into his car, and dumped in a rural Castaic, California, location. Some workers found his bones in 2016, and DNA testing verified his identification in 2020.

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The investigation and legal fallout

The investigation into Lambert’s disappearance began in early December 2008, when his neighbors reported seeing a moving truck at his house. Miguel Bustamante was caught. Craig McCarthy also came forward and helped the police by telling them important details about the plan. He used to live with one of the suspects.

As investigators brought the crime into the light, they discovered that Garcia had planned the murder after Lambert refused to invest in his business. Garcia enlisted Niroula, who was charismatic and deceptive, to help carry out the plot.

They hired a lawyer named David Replogle and a few other people to work with them. It was planned to kill Lambert and steal from him at the same time. They made fake papers, took big amounts of money out of his accounts, used his credit card, and tried to sell his property.

In the years after the murder, all six of the people who did it were found guilty. However, legal issues, including judge misconduct, overturned some convictions in 2020.

In 2022, there were new trials, and three of the criminals—Garcia, Niroula, and Replogle—were found guilty again. But Niroula was killed in jail in 2022, so he could not be given a new sentence.

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The controversy continues

A detailed discussion about Dateline’s Cliff Lambert's disappearance case (Image via YouTube/@Dateline NBC)

Even though the suspects were found guilty, the case is still controversial, and the process for giving punishments is complicated. The long sentences given to Garcia and Replogle have made people question the justice system. In 2025, Danny Garcia and David Replogle are still in jail.

Both were sentenced to life without parole. Garcia, in particular, has raised health and lawyer concerns, slowing the case's settlement. His retrial and pleas have kept the case in the public eye, making sure that people will continue to talk about how brutally Cliff Lambert was killed.

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Dateline’s Cliff Lambert's disappearance case The Prince, The Whiz Kid & The Millionaire is available to stream on NBC.