A man is facing retrial for the financially motivated murder of a Palm Springs retiree, and his defense strategy revolves around shifting blame onto others. Daniel Garcia, now 41, is accused of killing Clifford Lambert in 2008 in a murder prosecutors claim was driven by financial motives. During his retrial, Garcia’s attorney argued that the prosecutors’ theory of the killing doesn’t make sense.
Garcia is facing multiple charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit a crime, and using forged instruments. He also faces burglary, grand theft, and receiving stolen property charges. Prosecutors have alleged a special circumstance of murder for financial gain and a sentence-enhancing allegation of fraud or embezzlement.
In the original trial held in 2012, both Garcia and his co-defendant Kaushal Niroula were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. However, due to the behavior of the judge during the trial, they were granted new trials. Tragically, Niroula was killed at the Cois Byrd Detention Center in 2022.
Two other co-defendants, Miguel Bustamante and David Replogle, were also convicted in 2011 but appealed their verdicts based on successful appeals made by Garcia and Niroula. In 2022, both Bustamante and Replogle were convicted again but have yet to be sentenced.
During Garcia’s retrial, Deputy District Attorney Robert Hightower informed the jurors that Lambert, the victim, was looking for companionship on an online dating site when he encountered Garcia. Garcia proposed an investment opportunity to Lambert, but when Lambert rejected the idea, Garcia allegedly obtained his personal information, including credit card details, to upgrade his flight back home.
According to the prosecutor, Garcia’s plan evolved from an investment scheme into a plot to exploit Lambert for his wealth. Hightower presented text messages exchanged between Garcia and the other defendants, suggesting their involvement in the crime.
On the day of the killing, Garcia’s co-defendant Niroula allegedly posed as an attorney and informed Lambert that he was inheriting a significant sum of money. McCarthy and Bustamante, instructed to kill Lambert, broke into his home but didn’t succeed that day. They carried out the killing during a second meeting, after which they disposed of Lambert’s body.
Garcia’s defense attorney, Stephen P. Jones, questioned the prosecution’s theory, pointing out the absence of significant amounts of blood at the crime scene considering the alleged stabbing. He also raised doubts about Garcia’s motive, arguing that his client’s only plan was to get Lambert to invest in his business idea.
Jones highlighted the rekindling of Lambert and Garcia’s relationship after a rough patch, suggesting they had repaired their bond. He cast doubt on the manipulation of text messages and disputed the prosecution’s claim that Garcia would kill Lambert over a relatively small sum of money.
The prosecutor, Hightower, countered Jones’ arguments by suggesting that the absence of blood at the scene could be attributed to it being cleaned up as evidenced suggested. He also contended that Garcia has a history of turning on friends and dismissed the claim that text messages were manipulated, stating that it would have been a complicated process involving hundreds of messages.
In conclusion, Daniel Garcia faces a retrial for the financially motivated murder of Clifford Lambert in Palm Springs. The prosecution alleges that Garcia’s plan evolved from an investment proposition into a scheme to drain Lambert of his wealth. Garcia’s defense attorney has raised doubts about the prosecution’s theory and highlighted discrepancies in the evidence. The jury will decide Garcia’s fate in this high-profile case.
