2 lawyers and client die in law office shooting; 1 attorney was alleged gunman

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2 lawyers and client die in law office shooting;…

Criminal Justice 2 lawyers and client die in law office shooting; 1 attorney was alleged gunman

By Debra Cassens Weiss

April 9, 2024, 10:09 am CDT

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A lawyer and his wife were shot and killed during a deposition at a law office in Las Vegas on Monday. Police think that the suspect, identified in multiple reports as the opposing lawyer, then fatally shot himself. (Image from Shutterstock)

Updated: A lawyer and his wife were shot and killed during a deposition at the office of the Prince Law Group in Las Vegas on Monday. Police think that the suspect, identified in multiple reports as the opposing lawyer, then fatally shot himself.

Lawyer Dennis Prince was representing his wife, Ashley Prince, in a custody battle with the suspect’s son, who was Ashley’s ex-husband, report NBC News, KLAS, Fox News and the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The suspect was Joe Houston II, who was representing his son Dylan Houston, according to the articles. Joe Houston had told lawyer Robert Eglet before the shooting that he had terminal cancer, Eglet said in an interview with Fox News. Eglet is Prince’s former law partner.

Dylan Houston, who is also a lawyer, had been married to Ashley Prince for four years before he sought a divorce in October 2021, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. They had two children.

Documents indicate that other lawyers for Ashley Prince filed documents later on Monday that sought to give sole custody of the children to Ashley Prince’s sister, according to a later article by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The court document said Dylan Houston was not present during the shooting and questioned whether he knew of his father’s plans. Dylan Houston, however, said the suggestion was “insulting and quite speculative.”

Another lawyer present during the shooting was spared, the document said. The lawyer, Shannon Wilson, said she told Houston that she was pregnant, and he allowed her to leave the room.

The Prince Law Group released a statement Monday thanking those “who has reached out to us with heartfelt messages of concern and sympathy over the tragic violence that occurred this morning in our offices.”

Democratic Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he is “devastated” by the news, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

“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. I’m extremely saddened by his and Ashley’s death, and my heart goes out to their families, especially their children.”

Eglet said Prince was one of the best trial lawyers in the state. He and other Las Vegas attorneys said Houston was the alleged gunman, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

John Curtas, a Las Vegas deputy city attorney, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Prince and Joe Houston were respected, although Houston was a “little rough around the edges but nothing to indicate this type of thing.”

The Houston family released this statement published by the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “Our family is in a state of profound shock and sadness at yesterday’s events. We ask for prayers and privacy as we try to navigate the coming days. 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 [the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s] efforts and will leave all future comment to them as their investigation unfolds.”

Updated April 9 at 4:10 p.m. to include later information from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Updated April 11 at 8:50 a.m. to include information on Joe Houston’s cancer diagnosis.

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