The lawyer accused of fatally shooting his former daughter-in-law and her lawyer husband during a deposition reportedly had terminal cancer and shot himself in front of his wife before committing suicide. .
Joseph Houston, 77, arrested Dennis, 57, and Ashley during a child custody deposition Monday morning at the offices of Prince Law Group, after giving a life sentence to another attorney earlier in the week. Prince, 30, was shot and killed. According to Fox News Digital.
“Joe told me shortly before the shooting that he had terminal cancer and was dying. Did he feel he had nothing to lose? But I don’t really know. , I can’t make sense of all of this,” Dennis’ former law partner Robert Egret told the outlet.
Houston was representing his son in a custody battle with Ashley Prince, and Dennis was acting as part of an extensive legal team.
Ashley and ex-husband Dylan Houston divorced in 2021, and both had custody of the child until Ashley filed a motion for sole custody of the child on Monday, according to court records reported by the newspaper. Las Vegas Review Journal.
Las Vegas attorney Lisa Rasmussen said Joseph Houston’s wife, who will be questioned in a deposition Monday, witnessed the shooting. he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Shannon Wilson, a pregnant lawyer who was also in the room, ducked and hid under a conference room table when Houston started shooting, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. That’s according to court documents written by another attorney, Michelle Robello, who also represented Ashley Prince.
She asked Joseph Huston to come out of the room during the gunfire.
“She explained to me that she was pregnant and had asked Mr. Houston not to harm the baby,” Robello wrote in a court filing. “She explained to me that after Mr. Houston allowed her to leave the conference room and quickly left and hid in another part of the office, she heard additional gunshots.”
After the shooting, Ashley Prince’s lawyer successfully filed a motion to grant custody of Prince’s two children to the slain woman’s sister, the newspaper reported.
Robello argued that Dylan Houston may have known what his father was going to do before the fatal gunshot.
Dylan Houston denied any advanced knowledge of his father’s attack.
“No one knows the motive for the April 8, 2024 tragedy other than Joseph W. Houston himself. The defense’s suggestion that this was a ‘planned attack’ on the plaintiff is insulting. , is entirely speculative,” Dylan Houston, who is also an attorney, wrote in a response.
Houston’s family released a statement Tuesday morning saying they were in a “state of deep shock and sadness” over the shooting. According to Fox 5 Las Vegas.
Dennis Prince leaves behind four children, including the 6-month-old baby he shared with Ashley Prince, Eaglet told Fox News.
“You know, it’s really tragic and I can’t even describe it in words. He’s been one of my best friends for over 30 years and my business partner for over 10 years,” Eaglet said.
