A Las Vegas attorney shot and killed his ex-daughter-in-law and her husband during a deposition in a custody case for his son.
Joe Houston II, 77, shot himself after shooting Ashley and Dennis Prince at Dennis Prince’s law firm, KLAS reported.
The lawyer was representing his son, Dylan Houston, in the custody case with his ex-wife, Ashley Prince.
According to KLAS, Dylan Houston filed for divorce from Ashley Prince in 2021. Friends and family said the Princes recently had a child and that both had children from previous marriages.
A spokesperson for Prince’s law firm asked for privacy for the family’s involved.
Friends, including Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, who was a former law partner of Prince’s, were shocked.
“Dennis Prince was not only a brilliant attorney, but he was also my former law partner and my friend. I can’t believe he’s gone,” Ford said. “I’m extremely saddened by his and Ashley’s death, and my heart goes out to their families, especially their children.”
Houston’s family issued a statement saying they were “in a state of profound shock and sadness” that Houston had shot a prominent attorney and his wife.
“We ask for prayers and privacy as we try to navigate the coming days,” the family said. “The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is still conducting their investigation and as that continues, speculation about details of the incident only serves to add trauma to our already grieving and overwhelmed families. We have full faith in Metro’s efforts and will leave all future comment to them as their investigation unfolds.”
Joe Houston had been a member of the Nevada bar since 1974 and was publicly reprimanded recently for violating the bar’s professional rules of conduct, KLAS reported.
In the case, Houston charged a man a $5,000 retainer and $400 per hour to represent him in a divorce, but the couple later decided to stay together. When the man asked for “an accounting of the time billed” and the remainder of the retainer, Houston told him he would not provide a refund.
He later provided a $1,300 refund, but the bar said that he didn’t do that until the bar sent a letter of investigation. His “ethical breach caused potential injury” to the client, the bar said. It also fined him $1,500.
[Featured image: Dennis Prince/Prince Law Group]