Sins & Survivors: A Las Vegas True Crime Podcast - The Murder of Ashley and Dennis Prince Flashback

Episode Date: October 31, 2024

The unbelievable story of what happened in the Prince Law Offices in Las Vegas. It's hard to imagine a situation that would be more perfectly set up to go so horribly wrong. Friday 11/1/2024 we have a special collab coming out with Jake Deptula from Love Lust Fear and his frequent co-host Michelle Locke, a former judge and current family attorney where we discuss the case. https://sinspod.co/episode36sourcesDomestic Violence Resourceshttp://sinspod.co/resourcesClick here to become a member of our Patreon!https://sinspod.co/patreonVisit and join our Patreon now and access our ad-free episodes and exclusive bonus content & schwag! Get ad-free access for only $1 a month or ad-free and bonus episodes for $3 a monthApple Podcast Subscriptionshttps://sinspod.co/appleWe're now offering premium membership benefits on Apple Podcast Subscriptions! On your mobile deviceLet us know what you think about the episodehttps://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2248640/open_sms Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sins-survivors-a-las-vegas-true-crime-podcast--6173686/support.

Ashley and Dennis Prince had been married for a short time and had just welcomed a baby into their lives. Dennis, a prominent Vegas attorney, was representing her in a very contentious custody case involving her ex-husband, Dylan. The two were in a deposition regarding the custody of their two children, and Ashley assumed it would all go smoothly because Dylan wouldn't be present. What happened in that deposition would shock the entire Las Vegas community. Hi and welcome to Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast where we focus on cases that deal with domestic violence. I'm your host Sean and with me as always is the one and only John. I am the only John in the room. This week, our case deals with a family working through a highly contentious divorce and custody

dispute. While we often cover stories where families have relocated here from another part of the country, or even another country, that isn't the case here. This one involves two families, each containing a prominent local lawyer. The whole thing was a perfect storm. We have a custody battle where a new spouse is representing one party, and the other party is being represented by his own father. On April 8, 2024, Ashley Prince, age 30, was attending a deposition related to her long and drawn-out custody battle with her ex-husband, Dylan Houston, over their two children, ages 4 and 5. Ashley was represented by her new husband,

Dennis Prince, age 57. The two of them had recently welcomed their first baby in January of 2024. The deposition took place in Dennis' Summerlin Law Office. Dylan, who was not present, was represented by his father, attorney Joseph Houston. Dennis Prince was set to ask questions of Catherine Houston, who is Joseph's wife, and Dylan's mother. She was represented by another attorney named Lisa Rasmussen. There was one other lawyer present in the deposition from Dennis Prince's law group

named Shannon Wilson, who happened to be pregnant at the time. As you can probably tell, this was a very contentious deposition and part of a very nasty custody battle. The deposition got started at 10 a.m. According to Lisa Rasmussen, as they started, Joe said to Dennis, before we start, is there any hope that we can resolve any of the issues for the sake of the kids? Dennis didn't answer him or even acknowledge his question, but simply started asking Catherine questions. Just a couple minutes into the deposition, according to the court documents, attorney Joe Houston, 77 years old, stood up, had a very glazed look and rattled look in his eyes, pulled out a handgun,

and shot Dennis Prince four times. He then shot Ashley, the mother of his two grandchildren, and then turned the gun on himself. Shannon, Lisa, Catherine, and the unnamed court reporter thankfully survived the incident. Sadly, Ashley and Dennis both died as a result of the shooting. The two had only been married a short time and their baby was only four months old. Ashley was born on August 17th, 1993, right here in Las Vegas, the oldest of four siblings. Her brother's name is Bryce and her sisters are Lexi and Madison. She went to Palo Verde High School and had been an interior designer for 15 years. She was a stepmom to Dennis's adult children. Ashley loved Christmas and decorating, which makes sense, and she loved doing things like mapping out Santa's route for her young

children. She loved traveling and reading bedtime stories to her kids, and she was a foodie. She was especially excited and looking forward to her daughter starting kindergarten soon. Dennis was also a Las Vegas native. That seems pretty rare these days. Most people we've met are transplants from other places, and it's not often you find someone who was born here and stayed here. Dennis was born on February 2nd, 1967, and went to Bonanza High School. He got his degree in finance from UNLV and went on to law school at California Western. He headed a successful law firm called the Prince Law Group and was a well-known trial lawyer here in Las Vegas for over 30 years, known for practicing

personal injury law. Dennis had four children, three from prior relationships plus the new baby with Ashley, a son-in-law, two stepchildren, Ashley's kids, and one grandson. He was beloved in the community and loved to the beach, golfing, and cheering for his kids at their sporting events. He was well-respected in the legal community and a deeply trusted mentor to his friends and colleagues. He was described as being kind, generous, and compassionate. People said that he always was the best dressed and always was the life of the party. Ashley's sister Lexi told the press that she had a personality and a livelihood that she not only wanted the best for herself,

but everyone around her. She would go through great lengths to get that. Whatever Ashley Prince did, she did it with her kids in mind. They were always her first intention. She wanted the best life for them. On the day of Dennis' funeral, several well-known Las Vegans made statements about him to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Las Vegas attorney Richard Harris told the press, Dennis Prince had it all. Dennis had looks, he had brains, a stylish dresser, very talented trial attorney, and as charming as they come. I just thought very, very highly of him, former Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak said. He was very amicable, very nice, very easy to get along with. I hope that people will remember him as a great person, wonderful personality, great father,

and a person that loved our community, Las Vegas City Councilman Cedric Crear said. Dennis Prince's celebration of life drew an estimated 750 people at Palm Mortuary and Cemetery here in Las Vegas. Richard Harris acknowledged the large crowd and said, this is just proof of his popularity and the love that people had for him. He's one of a kind. Shortly after the shooting, Dillon attempted to pick up the children at school in the middle of the school day, despite there being no public notice that confirmed Ashley was one of the victims and whether or not she was still alive. Ashley's attorney filed an emergency petition with the courts asking for sole custody of Ashley and Dylan's children to be granted to Ashley's sister. The assertion was that Dylan's actions made him look like an accomplice or co-conspirator in the murders of Ashley and Dennis.

This request was granted by the judge, Bill Henderson, who was handling the contentious divorce. Following the shooting, a great deal of information about Ashley and Dylan's relationship was made public. Dylan, as you might expect, had a long history of threatening and abusive behavior toward Ashley. They divorced in 2017 after being together for four years. She had to take out a restraining order against him in 2021 because he allegedly, quote, took out a bat and started smashing things around the house.

He was required to take a breathalyzer test before seeing the children and at various times tested positive for cocaine and alcohol while he had custody of the children. He had to go several months without seeing the children because of his drug use issues. According to Ashley's family, Ashley put up with years of absolutely unrelenting abuse and threats. Dylan allegedly sent Ashley upwards of 70 text messages a day. Her family read out some of these text messages at a hearing after the murder. I'm hesitating for a second to read these because these are really ugly text messages and I just want to prepare the listeners for that. Her family read out these text messages, including one where he told Ashley to prepare for a future on your knees, and one where he said,

I don't want to see you unless you're in a casket, and another one that said the kids are better off without you, and one that said that he thought Ashley should move to Oregon and get euthanized. We also learned that they had planned to have security present at the deposition, but canceled it when they learned that Dylan would not to have security present at the deposition, but canceled it when they learned that Dylan would not be present. They expected violence, but from Dylan, not from his father, Joe. The family asserted that despite Dylan's constant threats and harassment, he was never sanctioned by the court for his abusive behavior. They pointed out countless red flags that were glossed over by the court. He was

ordered not to talk to Ashley, not to send her these messages, but he just continued to do so. Currently, Ashley's family has temporary custody of the children, and they're working tirelessly to maintain it. The case is ongoing. Both of these cases are horrible and tragic. The thought of Ashley, Dennis, and Mariorki's children growing up in a world where their parents have been taken from them is incredibly heartbreaking. Another Las Vegas lawyer named Mackenzie Kramer was quoted as saying, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more frequently, and we absolutely agree. The court system needs to do better. Red flags cannot be ignored,

and neither can the risk of gun violence and have access to those exclusive episodes. We want to remind everyone listening that you can find a list of resources in our show notes or on our website, sinsandsurvivors.com. We will be back next week with another new episode. Thanks again. And remember, what happens here happens everywhere. Thanks for listening. Visit sinspod.co slash subscribe for exclusive bonus content and to listen ad-free. Remember to like and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Threads at Sins and Survivors. If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a review on your podcast platform of choice. You can contact us at questions at sinsandsurvivors.com. If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence or needs support, please reach out to local resources or the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

A list of resources is available on our website, sinsandsurvivors.com. Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast, is research written and produced by your hosts, Sean and John. The information shared in this podcast is accurate at the time of recording. If you have questions, concerns, or corrections, please email us. Links to source material for this episode can be found on our website, sinsandsurvivors.com. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the podcast creators, hosts, and their guests. All individuals are innocent until proven guilty. This content does not constitute legal advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with legal professionals for guidance.