Secret Recordings and Overturned Convictions
The case took an unexpected turn in 2016 when Niroula filed a petition for a new trial, alleging judicial bias. A secret recording — made illegally during his 2012 trial — captured Judge David Downing making derogatory comments about Niroula’s HIV status and about the defendants.
In 2020, after prosecutors agreed not to oppose retrials, a judge overturned the convictions of four defendants. Retrials began two years later, with Replogle convicted again in August 2022. Weeks later, Niroula was killed in jail, allegedly by another inmate, as detailed in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his family.
By 2023, all remaining defendants had been convicted again. This year, Daniel Garcia, 43, and David Replogle, 76, were both sentenced to life in prison without parole, bringing an end to a 17-year legal odyssey.
“Justice Has Finally Been Served”
“This case tested the limits of California’s justice system,” Hightower said following the final sentencing. “But after 17 years, justice for Cliff Lambert has finally been served.”
