Disgraced SF lawyer gets life without possibility of parole for 2008 murder in Palm Springs

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- A Riverside County judge on Friday sentenced San Francisco lawyer David Replogle, 76, to life without the possibility of parole. He was convicted of conspiring to kill retiree Clifford Lambert, 74, in his Palm Springs home in 2008.

Replogle was convicted along with four other Bay Area men for that killing. Prosecutors say the men planned to steal Lambert's possessions and the deed to his home.

Investigators say three of the convicted men were prolific grifters. They were implicated in a number of cons here in the Bay Area. And prosecutors say they managed to drag out the case for 16 years.

"It is one of the most unusual cases in California history, " said Riverside County Senior Deputy District Attorney Lisa DiMaria. "The number of defendants, and largely the amount of resources spent on this case, really rivals no other case."

Replogle, the now-disbarred attorney, says he acted under duress.

Two of the other defendants, Daniel Garcia and Miguel Bustamante, are appealing their life sentences. A third man, former Daly City resident Craig McCarthy, avoided a life sentence by testifying against the others. He will be eligible for parole next year.

One of the convicted killers, Kaushal Niroula, was murdered by a cellmate three years ago. He was from Nepal and was dubbed the "Dark Prince." He falsely claimed to be Nepalese royalty. He was on a student visa to attend New College in San Francisco's Mission District. He promised the school a million-dollar donation. The donation never came, and the school closed in 2008 amid financial and accreditation issues. Prosecutors say Niroula orchestrated the theft of three condos at the One Rincon Tower building in San Francisco and was accused of swindling a Japanese woman he met in Hawaii out of more than $500,000.