The family of a woman who was shot to death by her former father-in-law criticized a family court judge for ignoring brutal text threats.
Dennis and Ashley Prince were shot and killed during a deposition involving Ashley’s ex-husband, Dylan Houston, last week. Prince represented his wife in the case.
Houston was represented by his father, Joseph Houston II, 77, who opened fire during the proceedings before killing himself.
Prince, 30, was fighting for sole custody of his two oldest children during the deposition, while Houston represented her son Dylan.
At a news conference Monday, Ashley’s parents, Julie and Paul, said Houston would threaten her with text messages, up to 70 a day.
These included threats such as: “I don’t want to see you unless you’re in a coffin,” “I’ll chisel you into a weaker, more useless bag of bones,” and “I’ll crush you any way you do.” I don’t even understand it,’ the family said.
Dennis and Ashley Prince, seen here, were shot and killed during a deposition involving Ashley’s ex-husband, Dylan Houston, last week.
At a news conference Monday, Ashley’s parents, Julie and Paul, seen here, said Houston would threaten her with text messages, up to 70 a day.
Paul and Julie Page speak to reporters in Las Vegas on Monday, April 15, 2024, as a photo of their daughter Ashley Prince is projected behind them on a screen.
Joseph Houston, who shot himself, is pictured with his daughter.
Her parents say their daughter’s court battle had failed her as she tried to obtain protection for herself and her children.
Clark County District Court Judge Bill Henderson had handled the case, and a court spokesman said 8news: ‘The court is unable to comment due to pending related matters.’
“Our daughter Ashley was a devoted and fierce protector of her children,” Page said, fighting back tears as she told reporters that her daughter “would never have given up the fight for her children.”
The outlet reported that five days before the shooting, Dylan Houston, who is also an attorney, sent an email to Dennis Price.
In documents seen by the 8newsHouston said: “You have no idea what you’re in for, all your cards are on the table and I haven’t played any.”
Houston himself was not present at the deposition, but the documents note that a private investigator had recorded “disturbing information about the plaintiff’s drinking and dangerous behavior” a month earlier.
The investigator allegedly observed Dylan driving home from a bar on March 29 while swerving on the road.
Dylan, a partner at Resnick & Louis in Las Vegas, filed for divorce from Ashley in October 2021 after four years of marriage.
According to social media posts, the couple were together for several years before getting married, and Ashley announced that she and Dylan were moving in together in 2014.
Clark County District Court Judge Bill Henderson, pictured, had handled the case.
Prince was representing his wife in an ongoing custody case involving her ex-husband, Houston’s son Dylan.
She was identified as Ashley Prince in court records last month.
A divorce decree issued in November 2021 gave the couple joint custody of their children, a son and daughter, ages 5 and 4; however, this remained in dispute.
Divorce documents allege that Dylan struggled with substance abuse while he had custody of their children.
Another of Ashley’s lawyers, John Jones, made reference to ‘a positive drug test for cocaine,” as well as “a positive alcohol test during his time in detention,” as well as “a missed alcohol test.”
Records show Dylan was arrested on a DUI charge in October 2020, but later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving.
Following his no contest plea in February 2022, Dylan was ordered to complete community service and DUI classes.
Within hours of her death, Ashley’s attorneys filed an emergency motion requesting that sole custody of the children be given to her sister. The motion was granted.
In that document, LoBello alleged that Dylan “knew or should have known his father’s intentions prior to the commission of these heinous acts.”
Shots were fired during a deposition Monday morning, and Houston pulled out a gun and shot Prince in the chest four times.
Dylan Houston was not present at the deposition, but records show that Ashley had requested sole custody of the couple’s young son and daughter the same morning of the shooting.
She cited an attempt to pick up her children.in the middle of the school day, even though details about (Ashley’s) dead or alive status have not been made public at this time.”
Dylan responded to the accusations.
‘The motivation for the tragedy of April 8, 2024 is unknown to anyone except Joseph W. Houston himself. “The defense’s suggestion that this was a ‘planned attack’ against the plaintiff is insulting and quite speculative,” he wrote.
He stated that his actions “were not indicative of a co-conspirator as the Defense would callously like the Court to believe, but rather of a concerned father who wishes to protect, comfort, love and support his children from any unnecessary discussion about this tragedy.” . .
According to Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill, shots were fired around 10 a.m. inside the Prince Law Group office in Summerlin.
Court documents filed hours later detail the moments leading up to the senseless violence.
Five minutes into the deposition, Houston “stood up, had a very glassy, ​​nervous look in his eyes, pulled out a gun and shot Prince four times,” the documents state.
Prince was recognized as the 2016 Nevada Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Nevada Association for Justice and tried more than 100 cases to a jury verdict at the time of his death.
He and Ashley had also recently welcomed a baby boy.