- 9 hours ago
A Plan to Kill (2024) Season 2 Episode 6
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00:10it was a big news story wealthy palm springs art dealer missing there was no signs of force
00:20nothing was thrown about but his mercedes was not in the garage it's suspicious when you have
00:26a missing person and all of a sudden their home is being sold out under them we would be like
00:34what
00:34the hell how can this be another twist then witnesses tell me he was murdered and gave me a
00:41handwritten map that's where they dumped the body the location where these bones were located was
00:47exceptionally remote it was unbelievable to me the elaborate scheme and plan that these guys went
00:55through i was in chocolate the plot was very complex he was the next target and what they dubbed
01:03operation craigslist in the county jail he did make a phone call and the only thing he said was run
01:28in the community in the city's middle of a neighbourhood was 225 people in the city's
01:29palm springs is a beautiful desert city with a long history
01:34it became very popular with the celebrity crowd
01:38in the 40s and 50s
01:42we're so close to hollywood 100 miles away
01:45so you had people that came out here for the sun and fun and away from paparazzi
01:50and that's why we have so many good stories
01:53about the stars being here.
01:59The Festival of Lights is a Christmas parade
02:02that is held every year in Palm Springs.
02:06It happens on the first weekend of December
02:08and brings the whole community together.
02:13My good friend Clifford Lambert
02:16really loved the Christmas parade,
02:18but that year, Cliff didn't show up.
02:22He was very well known in the gay community,
02:25so when he didn't show up to that Christmas parade,
02:28his close friends were very concerned
02:30because that was his favorite thing.
02:35I was Cliff's hairdresser,
02:37and I had some friends and clients in the salon,
02:42and I remember somebody telling me
02:44that they had seen Cliff at his favorite haunt
02:47just down from his house,
02:49having dinner with somebody on December 4th,
02:52but they hadn't heard from him
02:53or hadn't been able to get a hold of him afterwards.
02:57So we started putting things together,
03:00and it was alarming.
03:04On December 12th, 2008,
03:07a missing person's report came across my desk
03:09by the name of Cliff Lambert.
03:11Reading the report,
03:13I noticed that his longtime friend, Edward,
03:15had reported him missing,
03:17hadn't heard from him for a couple of days.
03:19The first thing you do with a missing person,
03:21try to call him and see if they're okay,
03:22and give him a call,
03:24and his voicemail box was full.
03:27I started conducting a more thorough investigation,
03:30contacting friends,
03:31seeing if anybody's heard from him.
03:33Nobody has.
03:35Over the next several days,
03:38the police department spoke to many of us,
03:41asking if we knew of anybody
03:43that might harbor any resentment towards Cliff,
03:46and I couldn't think of anybody.
03:51I'm still expecting him to show up,
03:53but a couple of days went by,
03:55and I spoke with his friend, Edward, again,
03:58who had the key to the house.
03:59So he allowed me to enter the house,
04:02and there was nothing unusual.
04:06There was no signs of force.
04:08Nothing was thrown about.
04:10Everything was in the right place.
04:12His friend explained that the Rolls Royce
04:15was still in the garage,
04:16but his Mercedes was missing.
04:19I did notice that his mailbox
04:20had, like, mail protruding out,
04:23and there was papers on front of the door.
04:25But that in and of itself isn't suspicious.
04:27He could have been gone for the weekend
04:28and not told anybody.
04:33A few days, it goes by,
04:35and Cliff doesn't show up.
04:36We sent out the press release.
04:39We were hoping that would turn on
04:41some information on him, but it didn't.
04:45Remember, social media wasn't a thing,
04:47so if we put it out now,
04:49we would be getting more people saying,
04:51I knew Cliff.
04:52I saw him at this party.
04:54There's no way he'd go missing.
04:55You know, things like that.
04:57But we didn't have those kind of tips or clues.
05:02At this point, I need to speak to his friends
05:05and learn all I could on Cliff Lambert.
05:09Cliff was born in St. Louis, Missouri.
05:13He had the biggest dreams and ambitions.
05:16He was going to be a celebrity.
05:19Cliff is a fascinating individual.
05:21You have to think about who he was
05:23and the time period that he grew up in.
05:25By all accounts, he was out
05:27through most of his life.
05:29He ended up getting a job
05:32on a radio show,
05:35and that afforded him
05:37to create relationships
05:39with a lot of celebrities.
05:41And later,
05:43he ended up going into the art world.
05:46He had actually worked to create this process
05:50where famous pieces of art
05:53could be available basically as posters.
05:55And that was how he made his money.
05:59Cliff Lambert lives a very expensive lifestyle.
06:02When you would walk into his house,
06:04people described it like walking into Versailles.
06:09Cliff was a person
06:11that liked to have others around him.
06:15He would have dinner parties.
06:17He was happiest
06:19when he was in a relationship.
06:21He had a boyfriend for a very long time,
06:2412 years or so.
06:26And his name was Travis.
06:27And Cliff really loved him
06:29and wanted him to carry his last name.
06:31So Travis Hobbs became Travis Lambert.
06:35They were both really happy with that.
06:38But then in 2007,
06:41Travis died in a drowning accident
06:43in the swimming pool.
06:47Cliff was just beside himself.
06:50He was just devastated.
06:51And I don't think he ever really got over it.
06:56Cliff was very lonely.
06:59And in 2008,
07:01it actually drove him
07:03to create a profile on Craigslist
07:07to begin looking for somebody
07:10to fill that void.
07:20Our first big break
07:22didn't come through
07:23until I received a phone call
07:24at my desk
07:25from a real estate agent
07:26over in San Francisco
07:27inquiring about Mr. Lambert
07:30and his residence
07:31in Palm Springs.
07:34He expressed that
07:35he had a client
07:36in San Francisco
07:38that had a power of attorney
07:39that a house was gifted to him
07:42when he wanted to do
07:43what he called a fire sale.
07:46The real estate agent
07:48was suspicious
07:49that when he ran
07:49Mr. Cliff Lambert's name,
07:51he came back
07:51as a missing person.
07:54So at that point,
07:55I called my partner detective
07:57who does do fraud
07:58and property crime,
07:59Simon Mann,
08:00and asked him
08:01to come on board
08:02with this investigation.
08:06It's suspicious
08:07when you have
08:08a missing person
08:09and all of a sudden,
08:11their home
08:12is being sold
08:13out under them.
08:15We received documents
08:17from the agent
08:18that pertained
08:19to Cliff's home
08:20here in Palm Springs.
08:22And there was a deed
08:24and a power of attorney
08:25with the name
08:26of Kashal Nerula
08:27from San Francisco.
08:31Who is Kashal Nerula
08:33in San Francisco?
08:34And why is he trying
08:35to claim ownership
08:36of Cliff Lambert's house?
08:38This was essentially
08:39the big break
08:40that led me to believe
08:41that there was something
08:42more nefarious
08:43was going on.
08:44There is a name
08:46that has
08:47no bearing
08:49on the residence itself.
08:51And there's a huge
08:53distance gap
08:54between Palm Springs
08:55and San Francisco.
08:57But at this point,
08:58I'm asking,
08:59is Kashal Nerula
09:00involved
09:01in Cliff Lambert's
09:02disappearance?
09:07We're looking
09:08for proof of life.
09:09And oddly enough,
09:11there are transactions
09:12on Cliff's bank account.
09:14Like somebody went
09:15on a spending spree.
09:17When we learn
09:17who the thumbprint
09:18belonged to
09:19and what happened
09:21to this man,
09:22it was terrifying
09:25for us.
09:39Cliff would always
09:40stay in touch
09:41with friends,
09:43always let somebody
09:44know when he would
09:46be out of town.
09:49But this time,
09:50none of that happened.
09:52We were all
09:53just very concerned.
09:56At this point
09:57in the investigation,
09:58there wasn't much
09:59to go on
10:00other than the fact
10:01that we have someone
10:02with the power
10:03of attorney
10:03signed by Cliff Lambert
10:05to Kashal Nerula
10:07in San Francisco.
10:08And he's trying
10:09to sell
10:10Mr. Cliff Lambert's
10:11house below market value.
10:13But at this time,
10:14instead of interviewing
10:15Kashal Nerula,
10:17I want to get
10:17more information
10:18about him.
10:19I want to know
10:20everything I can
10:21about who he is.
10:22That way,
10:23I'm not going in blind.
10:27So I called
10:27the San Francisco
10:28Police Department
10:29and spoke to
10:30an investigator
10:31in their fraud unit.
10:32and immediately
10:33when I said
10:34the name
10:34Kashal Nerula,
10:36it was like
10:36an alarm
10:37that went off
10:38on the phone
10:39because Kashal
10:40had so many
10:41charges in San Francisco
10:43for fraudulent activities.
10:46Nerula was arrested
10:47a year prior.
10:48He had been locked
10:49in jail
10:49in the county.
10:51But at this time,
10:53Kashal Nerula
10:54is out of jail.
10:57Kashal Nerula
10:58is a convicted
11:00con man.
11:01Very, very good looking,
11:03dressed impeccably.
11:05He would tell people
11:06that he was
11:07the Prince of Nepal
11:08and that he was exiled.
11:11Kashal Nerula
11:12had undertaken
11:13a con scheme
11:14where he conned
11:15someone out of
11:16over $400,000
11:17worth of artwork.
11:19He ended up stealing
11:20$300,000
11:22approximately worth
11:23of jewelry
11:24in order to pay
11:25the restitution
11:25for his art theft scheme.
11:29And in 2007,
11:31Kashal Nerula
11:31was responsible
11:32for swindling
11:33someone out of
11:34half a million dollars
11:35in Hawaii.
11:36He was a prolific fraudster,
11:38but does he have
11:40any involvement
11:40in the disappearance
11:41of Cliff Lambert?
11:48I'd asked
11:49the real estate agent
11:50if they could
11:50pause any sales
11:51because there is
11:52suspicious factors
11:53behind the disappearance.
11:55Then the real estate agent
11:57continued to tell me
11:58that an attorney
11:59by the name of
12:00David Replogle
12:01from the Bay Area,
12:02he had done this deal
12:04between Mr. Nerula
12:05and Mr. Cliff Lambert
12:07and that Mr. Nerula
12:09took on
12:10the part of attorney.
12:14So there's still
12:16no signs of Cliff.
12:17I'm looking for
12:18proof of life
12:19and I found that
12:21there are transactions
12:22on Cliff's bank account
12:25after he was reported missing.
12:28It looked like somebody
12:30went on a spending spree
12:31in San Francisco.
12:33They were buying
12:34chocolate, clothes,
12:37computer products.
12:38It looked like somebody
12:40was having a good old time.
12:42But when I received
12:44surveillance photos
12:45from ATMs,
12:46it was not Cliff Lambert.
12:47nowhere near Cliff Lambert
12:50is a picture
12:51of a Hispanic male
12:53on all of these transactions.
12:55I take a little clip of that
12:56and I send it to
12:58the San Francisco
12:59Police Department
12:59and the investigator
13:01up there
13:01immediately identifies
13:02identifies these pictures
13:04is Danny Garcia.
13:07And says he was also involved
13:09in fraudulent activities
13:11with Nerula.
13:15We find out
13:17that Cashaw Nerula
13:18and Danny Garcia,
13:20they've been under investigation
13:22by San Francisco Police Department
13:23amongst other police departments
13:25up in the Bay Area
13:26for many scams
13:27in which they defraud people
13:29out of their belongings.
13:31They are essentially part
13:33of a ring of con men.
13:36So now we had
13:37one more name,
13:39one more person of interest.
13:42With the names now,
13:44I go back to
13:45Mr. Lambert's good friend
13:47who reported him missing
13:48and asked if he recognized
13:50any of the names.
13:51And lo and behold,
13:52he did recognize Danny Garcia
13:55and stated that
13:56Danny Garcia was
13:58a boyfriend
13:59friend of Mr. Lambert,
14:00but they have parted
14:02on bad terms
14:03several months
14:04before the disappearance.
14:09In April of 2008,
14:12Cliff told me
14:13that he met somebody
14:14from San Francisco
14:15on Craigslist
14:17and his name
14:18was Daniel Garcia.
14:19He described him
14:21as something different
14:22than he normally likes.
14:23He said,
14:24this boy is Hispanic
14:25and he has dark hair.
14:28Daniel came to
14:29the desert
14:30a handful of times
14:32to visit Cliff
14:33to see if they might
14:34get along
14:35or if there was a spark.
14:39But Daniel
14:41ended up making it clear
14:43that he was looking
14:44for an investor
14:45for a new business
14:46he wanted to open,
14:47meaning that
14:48he wanted his money.
14:50Cliff told him,
14:51that's it.
14:52This is done
14:53and he would
14:54have to leave.
14:59At this point,
15:00all I knew
15:00is that Danny Garcia
15:02was a connection
15:02to Cliff Lambert.
15:04But how was that
15:05related to Cliff's
15:06disappearance?
15:10Then,
15:10on January 7th,
15:12I get a phone call
15:13from Cliff's neighbor
15:14that there is a U-Haul truck
15:16in front of Cliff's house.
15:19Frank comes to me
15:21and he tells me,
15:22Simon,
15:23there's somebody
15:23at Cliff's house
15:24with the U-Haul.
15:26They're trying to leave.
15:27We need to go get
15:28the U-Haul.
15:30I advise our patrol officers
15:32to quickly respond
15:33that somebody is trying
15:35to move the items out.
15:37As I'm driving
15:38towards the downtown area
15:40to get to his house,
15:41I notice a U-Haul truck
15:43driving southbound
15:44away from the direction
15:46where his house would be.
15:48So,
15:49between myself,
15:50Frank,
15:51and patrol,
15:53we tactically
15:54start setting up
15:55units to go intercept
15:57all the vehicles
15:58that are leaving.
15:59Is Cliff there?
16:02Is Cliff not there?
16:04Are we going to find
16:05somebody who shouldn't
16:07be there
16:08cleaning out this house?
16:23Clifford Lambert was missing,
16:25and we received
16:26a phone call.
16:27There's somebody
16:28at Cliff's house
16:29with the U-Haul
16:30trying to clean out
16:31his home.
16:32It's suspicious.
16:34And then I get
16:35another call
16:36from Detective Browning
16:37saying,
16:38hey,
16:38I got this U-Haul
16:40driving south
16:41away from
16:42Cliff Lambert's house.
16:45I pull over the U-Haul truck.
16:49Simultaneously,
16:49officers are arriving
16:51on scene
16:51at Cliff's house.
16:53I get on scene
16:54and I find
16:55a person
16:57talking to
16:57one of the patrol officers.
17:00And as I approach,
17:01he identified himself
17:03as Miguel Bustamante.
17:05And he said,
17:06we were hired
17:07to do a job,
17:08but it didn't look
17:09like movers.
17:11It looked like
17:12Miguel Bustamante
17:14at Cliff's home
17:16trying to steal
17:17all the contents
17:18of the residence.
17:20A lot of Cliff's property,
17:22personal items
17:24of value,
17:25art,
17:26and we can't verify
17:28that any of this property
17:29was legitimately
17:30given to Miguel
17:31and his crew
17:32by the actual owner
17:34of Clifford Lambert.
17:35So Miguel Bustamante
17:37was detained
17:38at the scene
17:38and taken to the jail.
17:41Now we have
17:42one more
17:43person of interest
17:44in this case.
17:50Within an hour or so
17:51of Miguel Bustamante
17:52being arrested
17:53for the burglary,
17:54he called for detectives.
17:57He wanted to talk to us.
17:59Here we go.
18:00You know,
18:01I'm Detective Browning.
18:02You can see it there.
18:02And I was told
18:04that you wanted
18:04to talk to us.
18:05Yes.
18:05What is it that you
18:06want to volunteer
18:08and tell us?
18:13Okay.
18:20We confirmed
18:21the two people
18:22driving the U-Haul trucks
18:23were, in fact,
18:24just hired,
18:25so they were not charged.
18:26Our main concern now
18:28is trying to get
18:29to what he knows
18:30about Cliff Lambert.
18:31Okay, this is what I know.
18:33Okay.
18:34This guy in here,
18:35his name is Danny Garcia.
18:38The boyfriend of
18:40Cliff Lambert.
18:42His name is
18:43Cushel Nerula.
18:45These two guys
18:46have been working
18:47together again.
18:48For me,
18:48that was huge
18:49because we never
18:50released the names
18:50of the people
18:51involved in this case.
18:53Now we have information
18:54that there is
18:55some kind of connection
18:56between Danny Garcia,
18:58Cushel Nerula,
18:59and Miguel Bustamante.
19:01So we're up to
19:02three people
19:03associated with
19:04this missing person's case
19:05with no sign
19:07of Cliff.
19:09His initial comments
19:11were that
19:12Cliff Lambert
19:12owed the cartel money
19:13and they took him
19:14to Mexico.
19:21It's a crazy story.
19:23I did not believe
19:24whatsoever
19:24that Cliff was in Mexico
19:26and it was abducted
19:27for the cartel.
19:28So they went with the Mexicans
19:29and Cliff all went together?
19:30Yes, yes, yes, yes.
19:32That's why
19:33we could and Cushel
19:34hired me
19:34to keep his car,
19:37supposedly his car
19:37and went to my garage.
19:39He proceeded
19:40to volunteer
19:40information
19:41that he had
19:42Lambert's Mercedes
19:43in his possession
19:44in Daly City
19:46in his apartment complex.
19:49So we had
19:50Daly City Police Department
19:52go to the residence
19:53and it was there.
19:56So now we had
19:57Cliff Lambert's vehicle.
19:59We were hoping
19:59that it would turn on
20:00some information
20:01on what happened
20:02to Cliff Lambert.
20:03Cliff Lambert's Mercedes
20:05was brought back
20:06to Palm Springs
20:07for processing.
20:09The technicians
20:10were able to find
20:11traces of blood
20:12in the trunk
20:14but it was inconclusive
20:15at the time
20:16because it was very minute.
20:20So we obtained
20:21a search warrant
20:22to inspect Cliff's house.
20:26We recovered
20:28Cliff's toothbrush,
20:29his hairbrush,
20:31his fingerprints
20:32and we uploaded it
20:35into CODIS,
20:36the database
20:37in missing persons cases
20:39so that it can be used
20:41at a later time.
20:44Once law enforcement
20:46was able to do
20:47forensic testing
20:48of his house,
20:48they found
20:49the presence of blood.
20:51However,
20:52it didn't result
20:53in any DNA findings.
20:55It was inconclusive
20:57as to person
20:58but it tested positive
21:00for blood.
21:02So it was enough
21:03to write
21:04a public cause declaration
21:06to continue
21:07the investigation
21:08into all the suspects
21:10identified in this case.
21:12Also,
21:13we did book Miguel
21:14for the burglary
21:15and we asked
21:17the courts
21:17that he be held
21:18in the county jail
21:19into his arraignment.
21:28A lot of Cliff's friends
21:30would talk to each other
21:31trying to come up
21:32with scenarios
21:33where he may have gone
21:34on his own
21:35and we were praying
21:36that one of them
21:37was true.
21:40We still hadn't interviewed
21:41Danny Garcia,
21:43still hadn't interviewed
21:44Nerula.
21:44We did have investigators
21:46from San Francisco
21:47Police Department
21:47just kind of keep an eye on them.
21:49They had no idea
21:50that we're on to them.
21:51First,
21:52I want to know exactly
21:53what happened to Cliff Lambert.
21:55That gives me a lot more
21:56ammunition for the interviews
21:58of them.
21:59At this time,
22:00Miguel Busamonte
22:01was still in the county jail.
22:02I received a phone call
22:04from an investigator
22:05explaining to me
22:06that he did have
22:07an inmate
22:08who was cellmates
22:09with Miguel Busamonte
22:10and had the truth
22:11on Mr. Lambert's disappearance.
22:16I went down to meet
22:17with the inmate
22:18to see what he was referring to
22:20and he gave me
22:21a piece of paper
22:22with the names
22:23of Danny Garcia
22:25and Keshaw Nerula
22:26and it did have
22:28a handwritten map
22:29on there
22:30and according to the inmate,
22:31he was told by Miguel.
22:33That's where they dumped
22:34Mr. Lambert's body,
22:35somewhere in the desert.
22:38So Detective Men and I
22:40went and searched
22:41the area
22:41identified in the map.
22:44I was pretty confident
22:45we had a murder investigation
22:46but it's very hard
22:48to prove up
22:49a homicide
22:49without a body.
22:52A homicide
22:53without a body.
23:03We have a map
23:05at this point.
23:06We have information
23:07that Cliff Lambert
23:09was killed,
23:10a confession
23:11of an inmate
23:13to another inmate
23:14to another inmate
23:14but to me
23:15that was pretty credible
23:16information out.
23:18We searched for Cliff's body
23:20for months.
23:22Using the map
23:22we drove up and down
23:25the freeway.
23:26We were searching
23:28for anything
23:29that looked like
23:30a fresh burial site
23:32but we were not able
23:34to find anything.
23:39I prayed every night
23:40that he would just
23:43walk back in
23:46with a little smile
23:47on his face
23:48and a smirk
23:49saying,
23:49it's alright,
23:50I'm okay,
23:50don't worry about me,
23:51I'm alright.
23:53Unfortunately,
23:54it didn't unfold that way.
23:57without Cliff's body
23:59this case
24:01became about
24:02documents.
24:03It was
24:04following a trail
24:06in bits and pieces
24:07of evidence
24:07and the case
24:09was so convoluted
24:10that it required
24:11additional evidence
24:13to corroborate
24:14everything that they've
24:15done up to this point.
24:19When reviewing
24:20the power of attorney
24:21documents
24:22I noticed
24:22a notary stamp
24:23and now I'm thinking
24:25I need to speak
24:25to this person
24:26to see if Cliff Lambert
24:27did in fact
24:28sign his name
24:29and give
24:30Kashaw Nerula
24:30power of attorney.
24:35I'm a mobile notary
24:37and I get calls
24:38all day long
24:38for people
24:39that want a notary
24:40to come to them
24:40to their home
24:42or to their office.
24:44I received a call
24:45on the 20th of December
24:47asking if I could
24:48go to a residence
24:49in a neighborhood
24:50called Noe Valley.
24:51I grabbed my notary book
24:52and I got into my car
24:54and I drove
24:55to the location.
24:56When I get
24:57to the address
24:58I rang one of the buzzers
25:00there was no answer
25:01and all of a sudden
25:03this guy comes up
25:04and grabs the bag
25:06from behind
25:06and he says
25:07give me the bag
25:08give me the bag
25:09and he's pulling me
25:10with the backpack
25:11and I'm being dragged
25:12down the sidewalk.
25:14All of a sudden
25:16my head
25:16hits a telephone pole
25:18and I was in shock
25:20and I said
25:21get the
25:21away from me
25:23and he went like this
25:24and he walked
25:25down the sidewalk
25:27and I was like
25:29what
25:30was
25:30that
25:32and I called
25:32911
25:33and I told them
25:34what had happened
25:36and I stood
25:37in the street
25:37I was trembling
25:38I had never
25:40been so scared
25:41I was terrified.
25:44A few days later
25:45my notary partner
25:46Glenn calls me
25:47and says
25:48I just got a call
25:49from the Palm Springs
25:51Police Department
25:52and they want
25:53copies of your journal.
25:54Remember
25:55when we got a phone call
25:56from someone called
25:57Kashul Narula
25:58saying
25:59he would like
26:00to set an appointment
26:01for his friend
26:02Cliff Lambert
26:02and we met those guys
26:04late at night
26:05in a hotel
26:05and we notarized
26:06a bunch of
26:07power of attorney documents
26:08they want
26:10the signature
26:10and the thumbprints
26:12in your journal.
26:14The person
26:15who put their
26:16thumbprint
26:16and signed
26:17the power of attorney
26:17should be
26:19Cliff Lambert
26:19so I asked
26:21if we could get
26:22that book
26:22analyzed
26:23and we got
26:24the results
26:24relatively quick
26:25but that thumbprint
26:27came back too
26:28David Replugo.
26:31David Replugo's name
26:32was crucial
26:33because up until then
26:34he had claimed
26:35to be an attorney
26:36just brokering
26:36a deal
26:37for Narula
26:38and Cliff Lambert
26:39to sell the house.
26:42It was clearly
26:43the plan all along
26:44that someone
26:45was going to have
26:45to pose
26:46as Cliff Lambert
26:47in order to execute
26:48this power of attorney.
26:51Apparently
26:52David Replugo
26:53later realized
26:54that he made a mistake
26:56leaving his own
26:57fingerprint
26:58as Cliff Lambert.
27:02So he decided
27:03that the new plan
27:04is to hire somebody
27:06to get that
27:07notary book
27:08back by force.
27:10If they were able
27:11to get that
27:12notary journal
27:13there would be
27:14no proof
27:15whatsoever
27:16that the thumbprint
27:17belonged to
27:18David Replugo
27:19not to Cliff Lambert.
27:24That event
27:25was a significant
27:26turning point
27:27in this investigation
27:28because it showed
27:30that David Replugo
27:31was posing
27:32as Clifford Lambert.
27:36It appears
27:37that the plan
27:38was to clean out
27:39all of Cliff Lambert's money
27:40as well as
27:41transfer the deed
27:42of his home
27:43into their control.
27:45But there was
27:47no evidence
27:48that these conmen
27:49definitively killed
27:50Cliff Lambert.
27:56were able to secure
27:59arrest warrants
28:00and search warrants
28:01for David Replugo
28:02Kashaw Neruda
28:04and Danny Garcia
28:05for essentially
28:06defrauding
28:07Cliff Lambert
28:08and taking
28:09in excess
28:10of $300,000
28:11from his bank accounts.
28:15At this point
28:16we can't find
28:17Danny Garcia.
28:18We think
28:19he's hiding
28:20out somewhere.
28:22But we find out
28:24that Kashaw Neruda
28:25and David Replugo
28:26will be in court
28:27because they had
28:28proceedings
28:28from prior events
28:30that Replugo
28:31was representing
28:31Neruda on.
28:33So we go to
28:34San Francisco
28:35with the warrants
28:36in hand.
28:37We're at
28:38the Hall of Justice
28:39and I'm standing
28:40in the hallway
28:41where Kashaw
28:43had his hearing.
28:45When the court
28:46recessed
28:47they came out
28:47with everybody else
28:49and both Replugo
28:51and Neruda
28:51were arrested.
28:56Later that day
28:57Kashaw Neruda
28:58he's in the
28:59county jail
28:59in San Francisco.
29:00We monitor
29:01their phone calls
29:02so he did make
29:03a phone call
29:04to Danny Garcia
29:05and the only thing
29:06he said was run.
29:09He hung up.
29:25After arresting
29:26David Replugo
29:27and Kashaw Neruda
29:30Neruda did make
29:31a phone call
29:32tipping off
29:33Danny Garcia
29:33that were on to him.
29:36So he was in the wind.
29:39Next we interviewed
29:40both Neruda
29:40and Replugo.
29:42They of course
29:43did claim
29:43not to know
29:44anything about
29:45Cliff Lambert
29:45or his murder.
29:48But Miguel
29:49Bustamante
29:50told another
29:51person at the jail
29:52that he knew
29:53Cliff Lambert
29:54was murdered
29:55and taken out
29:56to the desert.
29:59During our
30:00investigation
30:01we find that
30:03Bustamante
30:04had a roommate
30:05by the name
30:06of Craig McCarthy.
30:10We found
30:11evidence
30:12that Craig McCarthy
30:14worked
30:14at a medical center
30:16in San Francisco.
30:17So Detective Browning
30:19and I decided
30:19to go pay a visit
30:21and we found him.
30:22So we're speaking
30:23to Craig McCarthy
30:24to get understanding
30:26of what he knows
30:27first.
30:28And when we started
30:29asking
30:30did Miguel
30:31participate
30:32in the disappearance
30:33of Cliff Lambert
30:34and were you
30:35in Palm Springs
30:36with Miguel
30:37Craig's demeanor
30:39is very soft-spoken.
30:42That's when
30:43Craig started
30:43telling us
30:44oh yeah
30:45we were hired
30:46to do a job
30:47by Danny Garcia.
30:51So
30:52now we know
30:53that he was involved
30:54and we have
30:55one more suspect.
30:57so we asked
30:58Craig McCarthy
30:59if he knew
31:00anything about
31:01Danny Garcia's
31:02or abouts.
31:02He says
31:03he's hiding out
31:04with his friend
31:05in Sacramento.
31:06So I put the warrant
31:08into the system.
31:09That triggered
31:10Sacramento
31:11to have a task force
31:12search for him.
31:14His phone was pinged
31:16by the task force
31:17and they did in fact
31:18find him hiding
31:19in a closet
31:19in a friend's house
31:21where they took
31:21custody of him
31:22and several electronics
31:23that he was
31:24holding there.
31:26He was arrested
31:27and what was surprising
31:29was that
31:30there was
31:30multiple amounts
31:32of hard drives
31:33laptops
31:33cell phones
31:35in his possession
31:36at the time.
31:37They needed to be
31:38checked for any evidence.
31:43I interviewed Danny
31:44and he claimed
31:46that Cliff
31:46was a good friend
31:47of his
31:48and Cliff
31:49was going to
31:50help him invest
31:51into a software
31:52project that he had.
31:53But I know
31:54that Danny
31:55is lying to me
31:56because Cliff
31:57Lambert
31:58and Danny
31:58left on bad terms.
32:01Daniel Garcia
32:02is really
32:03the most critical
32:03element of this case.
32:05He is the link
32:06to Cliff Lambert
32:07and also the link
32:08to everyone else
32:09that was involved
32:10in this case.
32:11It took a very
32:12long time
32:13to inspect
32:14the data
32:14seized
32:15from these
32:16hard drives
32:17but it would
32:19help us
32:19to uncover
32:20what actually
32:22occurred
32:22in this scheme.
32:24It was
32:25exceptionally
32:26complex.
32:28There was
32:29financial evidence,
32:30records,
32:32credit card receipts.
32:33There was also
32:34a lot of
32:35computer records
32:36that needed
32:36to be gone through.
32:37What struck me
32:38was just
32:39the large scale
32:40of the entire operation
32:41that these individuals
32:42perpetuated
32:43in order
32:43to kill
32:44Cliff Lambert.
32:47This plan
32:48dubbed
32:48Operation Craigslist
32:50was in play
32:51way before
32:52Cliff went missing.
32:57When Cliff
32:57met Danny
32:58online
32:59on a dating
32:59website,
33:00Cliff flew him
33:01down,
33:01they spent
33:02six days together.
33:03Danny did
33:04what Danny does
33:05and tried
33:05to pull a con
33:06on him.
33:07Cliff was not
33:07a dumb man,
33:08he sent him home.
33:09That's when
33:10Garcia and
33:11Narula
33:12decide that
33:13in order
33:13to gain
33:14control of
33:15Cliff's estate
33:16that Cliff
33:17must be killed.
33:19Sometime
33:20over the summer,
33:21Daniel Garcia
33:22and Cashal Narula
33:22talked to
33:24David Rapogel.
33:25They come up
33:25with this story
33:27that Cliff Lambert
33:28has inherited
33:29this large amount
33:30of money
33:30and some works
33:31of art,
33:32which is a
33:33fictitious
33:33inheritance ruse
33:34to get
33:35Cliff's signature.
33:36In early fall,
33:38Cashal Narula
33:39adapts this persona
33:40of a lawyer
33:41and he reaches
33:42out to Cliff Lambert
33:43about this
33:44new fortune.
33:46Then they create
33:48legal documents
33:49that will transfer
33:49power of attorney
33:50to Cashal Narula.
33:52Next,
33:53they recruit
33:54two individuals,
33:55Miguel Bustamante
33:56and Craig McCarthy
33:57to act as the muscle
33:58who will actually
33:59kill Cliff Lambert.
34:01So on December 4th,
34:03Miguel Bustamante,
34:04Craig McCarthy,
34:06Cashal Narula
34:07flew down
34:07from the San Francisco
34:09area to Palm Springs.
34:11They set up
34:12a deadly meeting.
34:14Hi, Mr. Lambert.
34:15I'm reconfirming
34:16for 5.30 California time
34:17tomorrow evening
34:18and just looking forward
34:21to meeting with you.
34:22And the next day,
34:23they murder Cliff
34:25in his home.
34:27With Cliff
34:28out of the way
34:29and the documents
34:30signed and notarized,
34:32they now had
34:33full control
34:34and power
34:34to do whatever
34:35they wanted
34:35with his money,
34:37his home,
34:37basically his estate.
34:41What these con men
34:42put together
34:43was a really
34:43diabolical plan.
34:47Daniel Garcia,
34:49Cashal Narula,
34:50Miguel Bustamante,
34:51David Ropogel
34:52and Craig McCarthy
34:53were charged
34:54with murder
34:54as well as
34:55financial crimes
34:56that were related
34:56to the death
34:57of Cliff Lambert.
35:01And then
35:02in subsequent interviews,
35:03Craig McCarthy
35:04tells us
35:05he is wanting
35:05to cut a deal
35:06for a reduced sentence.
35:08When we brought
35:09Craig McCarthy
35:10down from San Francisco
35:12to Palm Springs,
35:13he gave a full detail
35:15about what happened
35:16on the night
35:17of the murder.
35:22Cashal met Cliff
35:23at Cliff's home
35:25around 8.30 p.m.
35:28Craig and Miguel
35:30were hiding
35:31in the back
35:32back of the house.
35:33This is where we have
35:34text messages
35:35between Cashal Narula
35:37and Miguel Bustamante
35:40that indicates
35:41kill him,
35:42kill him now.
35:44And that was the signal
35:45for Miguel and Craig
35:47to enter the house.
35:49So I'm standing right here,
35:51Miguel's right here.
35:55So Narula's like,
35:56just do the job.
35:58It'll be okay.
35:59It'll be done tomorrow.
35:59All right?
36:00And he walks out.
36:02He reenacted
36:03the entire murder
36:04on video.
36:06When he struck
36:07the first time,
36:07initially he was here.
36:10Cliff said,
36:11ah!
36:13And now Cliff
36:14and punched over here.
36:15Mm-hmm.
36:16And he just
36:17went over
36:17and he just
36:18started stabbing.
36:22And Cliff falls here.
36:23Yes.
36:25Cliff is
36:26on his floor
36:27dead.
36:29While Cashal
36:30was cleaning
36:31the house,
36:32Miguel and Craig
36:33wrap Cliff
36:34in this rug
36:35and put him
36:36in the trunk
36:37of Cliff's
36:38Mercedes.
36:41The next day,
36:42they drove
36:42about 100 miles
36:43away from Palm Springs,
36:45pulled off
36:45the side of the road,
36:46buried Cliff Lambert
36:48in a shower gray
36:49and drove off
36:51to San Francisco
36:52hoping that
36:52this body
36:53would never
36:53be found again.
37:00When the news
37:01broke that
37:02Cliff had been
37:03murdered,
37:06the whole thing
37:07was such a shock.
37:09The details
37:10of how it happened
37:11in his own kitchen,
37:14such a horrific crime.
37:16It was heartbreaking.
37:18the men that did this
37:21to Cliff
37:22are sociopathic.
37:26They're animalistic.
37:28That they would just
37:30discard him
37:31without any remorse.
37:34He deserved better.
37:47Any time you have a case
37:49where you don't have
37:50the body,
37:50there's always
37:51a lingering issue
37:52of where
37:53is this person?
37:55Are they still alive?
37:56And those are issues
37:56you have to overcome
37:57as a prosecutor.
38:00Fortunately, however,
38:02in this case,
38:02Daniel Garcia,
38:03Cashel Narula,
38:05Miguel Bustamante,
38:06David Rapogel
38:07were convicted
38:08of all the charges
38:09and were sentenced
38:10to life in prison
38:11without the possibility
38:12of parole.
38:13Craig McCarthy
38:14ended up pleading
38:14to a lesser sentence,
38:1625 years
38:17in state prison.
38:19This was a group
38:20of monsters,
38:21nefarious
38:22and diabolical
38:23from the get-go.
38:25I was relieved
38:26some justice
38:28finally being served.
38:38But then,
38:40years later,
38:41the DA's office
38:42sent the news release
38:43to the station
38:44and we all just gasped.
38:45It was,
38:46what?
38:48Can this really
38:48be happening?
38:49It's the case
38:50that just keeps
38:51on giving.
38:52How can this
38:53be another twist?
39:01Four men convicted
39:02in the murder
39:03of Clifford Lambert
39:04have been granted
39:04a new trial.
39:07An appeal filed
39:08on behalf of Narula,
39:10alleging comments
39:11Judge David Downing
39:12made in court proceedings
39:13that Garcia
39:14secretly recorded
39:16on his court-issued laptop.
39:18about Narula
39:18having HIV
39:19and refusing
39:20to read his motions.
39:23The fair and right
39:24thing to do
39:25was to give them
39:26a new trial
39:26because it was clear
39:28that the judge
39:28had some bias
39:29against them.
39:31It was shocking
39:32that they captured
39:33the judge
39:33making some
39:34homophobic statements.
39:36But the four top guys
39:38in this case
39:38were all going to get
39:39to be retried.
39:44I was perplexed.
39:45I thought,
39:46okay,
39:47a judge
39:48made an inappropriate
39:49comment,
39:51but they were
39:51guilty of murder.
39:53I can't help
39:54but feel angry
39:55with authorities.
39:57It's been eight years
39:58since a jury
39:59found Kashal Narula
40:00and Daniel Garcia
40:01guilty of murdering
40:02Palm Springs retiree
40:03Clifford Lambert.
40:05Authorities never able
40:06to find his body.
40:11Then,
40:11while the second trial
40:13was pending,
40:14remains were found
40:15that were connected
40:16to Cliff Lambert.
40:19I remember
40:20reading about
40:22a recovery
40:23of bones
40:24in the area
40:25of the Phi Freeway.
40:27I actually called
40:29the L.A. County Sheriff.
40:30Can you please
40:31check the DNA
40:32and see if it matches
40:33our missing person?
40:37We received
40:38information
40:39that they had
40:40a presumptive hit
40:42for DNA
40:43on some bones
40:44that had been located
40:45in Castaic
40:46off the highway
40:47years beforehand.
40:49It was great news
40:50for the second trial
40:51that what we had
40:53believed all along
40:54was, in fact,
40:55now supported
40:56in the evidence
40:57definitively
40:58that Cliff Lambert
40:59had been killed.
41:03It was also
41:04exceptionally sad.
41:06To see someone
41:07of Cliff's stature
41:08left there
41:09buried
41:10alongside
41:11discarded items
41:12and trash
41:13absolutely gut-wrenching.
41:17Then,
41:18unbelievably,
41:20during the course
41:21of the retrial,
41:22Kashal Narula
41:23was murdered
41:24by his cellmate.
41:36fortunately,
41:37at the second trial,
41:38all three
41:39of the defendants
41:40were convicted
41:40of all the charges
41:41and were sentenced
41:42to life in prison
41:43without the possibility
41:44of parole.
41:48To hear
41:49those three times
41:51guilty
41:52on every count
41:55was beyond reassuring
41:56because they were
41:57held accountable.
42:00Justice for Cliff Lambert
42:01would have been dying
42:0295 years old
42:03in his bed,
42:03and there's no way
42:05I can achieve that
42:06for him,
42:07but I hope this is something.
42:11This was a highly
42:12sophisticated plan
42:14and scheme
42:15to murder
42:17someone,
42:19steal their identity,
42:20transfer all
42:21their assets
42:22for their own
42:23personal financial gain.
42:27For those of us
42:28that knew Cliff
42:29and loved him,
42:30it was just so sad
42:33and heartbreaking.
42:38But I hope
42:39that people
42:39will remember Cliff
42:41as a fun,
42:42easygoing guy
42:44that loved to laugh.
42:47He liked to do
42:47things for people.
42:49He liked to make
42:50people smile.
42:52And he was all around
42:54a good human being.
42:57And he was all around
42:58and he was all around
42:58and he was all around
42:58and he was all around
42:58and he was all around
42:58and he was all around
42:58and he was all around
42:59and he was all around
43:00and he was all around
43:00and he was all around
43:01and he was all around
43:01and he was all around
43:02and he was all around
43:02and he was all around
43:02and he was all around
43:02and he was all around
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