Sins & Survivors: A Las Vegas True Crime Podcast - When Leaving Isn't Enough

Episode Date: July 16, 2024

After securing full custody of her children, Marillorky was brutally murdered by her ex-husband, just hours after winning in court & a contentious custody battle turned deadly for Ashley and Dennis when a deposition ended in a shocking murder-suicide. Sins & Survivors explores the fatal consequences of domestic violence and high-conflict divorces in these heartbreaking cases.Marillorky Tamayo-Cruz moved to the Las Vegas area in 2018, for a reason it feels like we’ve cited a lot in recent cases we’ve covered: to find a better life for herself and her children.She was, as it so often happens though, married to an abusive man with a pattern of domestic violence, and just a couple of hours after she was granted a divorce and full custody of her children, the unthinkable happened.This week's second case is the unbelievable story of what happened in the Prince Law Offices in Las Vegas to Ashley and Dennis Prince. It's hard to imagine a situation that would be more perfectly set up to go so horribly wrong. http://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!Apple 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.

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Together we explore stories of the paranormal and true crime throughout the Pacific Northwest. For each episode, we do a tarot reading to help us gain some insight on the topic as we share the facts of the case and our interpretations. You can find our episodes featuring true stories from infamous cases such as the misdeeds of Boeing, as well as lesser known true crime cases like the murders in Tunnel 13, as well as our spooky stories from Pike Place and Raven's Manor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere else you'd like to listen. Have a creepy ass day.

Mariorki Tamayo Cruz moved to the Las Vegas area in 2018. For a reason it feels like we've cited a lot in recent cases we've covered, to find a better life for herself and her children. Unfortunately, she met an extremely abusive man with a pattern of domestic violence, and just a couple hours after she was granted a divorce and full custody of her children, the unthinkable happened. 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, we have two very recent cases to share with you all. Both deal with families working through highly contentious divorces and custody disputes. With our first case, as we mentioned in the intro, it seems like recently we've covered a lot of cases where families moved to the Las Vegas area, sometimes from outside of the United States, but sometimes not, but often for the same reason, to find opportunities and build a better life for their families. This is also a case where we wish we knew more about the victim, Mary Orkey. Most of what we know comes from local reporting, which includes quotes from her mother and from her teenage daughter. But we also had the privilege of speaking directly to a friend of the family that we'll call Alejandra. She was so generous with her time, and we are so glad that Mariorki's family has her in their lives.

Do you want to get us started with what we were able to find out about Mariorki? Sure. Mariorki was born on December 14, 1988, in Cuba. She and her family left Cuba shortly after the birth of her older daughter in 2009, moving first to Canada and then to Las Vegas in 2018. Her two kids were born in 2009 and 2021, 12 years apart. She also had close family nearby with her mom, stepdad, sister, and brother-in-law all living here in Vegas. Mariorki really dove into her life here in the United States and had a wide variety of jobs and obviously a very high level of motivation. She got her real estate license and had an extremely active real estate career with Solution Realty Group. Her work-focused Facebook page is full of real estate listings. She was an entrepreneur, working as a notary and a tax preparer. She also ran a food truck

and had her bartender's license. It's obvious that she was motivated and willing to do whatever it took to provide for her family, who she loved. We mentioned her mom and her stepdad. Her stepdad was the man who raised her, and she thought of him as her dad. Her mother described her by saying, she was a model family member. Everyone wanted to be her, and she was pretty much the head of the family, our right arm. She was everything to us. A friend of the family told the Review Journal, she was very attentive to her daughters and wanted to work hard to give them the best life that she could. She also loved her parents and helped them make the move from Cuba to the United States. Mariorki was very smart, savvy, and resourceful, and rightfully very proud of her accomplishments. As a single mom, she had purchased her own home

and her parents' home. Alejandra explained that Mariorki was everything to her parents. She was their transportation and their translator. She was their support system and their guide. Mariorki married Royden DeRuthie Mendoza in 2020. He is the father of her younger daughter, and he is a volatile and terrifying domestic abuser. According to Alejandra, Mariorki's daughter noticed that after she met Royden, she changed. She didn't smile as much, and she wouldn't play loud music or act like her usual joyful, boisterous self. There's some speculation in the family that he pressured her into signing over part of the ownership of her home as part of his violent, threatening, and controlling behavior.

One of the quotes we read about Royden from Ivan, her brother-in-law, was that everyone in the family was scared of him because he had a gun, and he made several statements about how he would kill anyone like a dog that came into his house. One friend told the Review Journal, She was incarcerated in her own home due to this domestic violence, and Alejandra told me that she had tried to break up with Royden and leave him multiple times. Las Vegas Metro Police reported that Royden and Mariorki had a history of both verbal and physical fights. On July 6, 2023, Mariorki filed for divorce and went to stay with her parents,

who lived at Destination Spring Valley, a 55 and older retirement community. Another thing we've touched on more than a few times is that for various reasons, it can be very hard to get away from abusive relationships, for financial or even emotional reasons. When someone is able to get to the point where they leave, that's the most dangerous time for them. According to the Hotline.org and research done by the Canadian government, women in abusive relationships are about 70 times more likely to be killed in the weeks after leaving their partners than at any other time. Not only that, but the presence of a firearm in the home further increases the risk of homicide by 500%. Abusers will often escalate their violence when they sense that they are losing control of their victims. That escalation can result in physical harm or even escalate to murder. Emotional and psychological abuse, along with stalking, often intensify during this time. Someone filing for

divorce can definitely trigger this sense of loss of control. And not only that, but women between the ages of 18 and 34 are more vulnerable to severe intimate partner violence. For the record, Mary Orkey was 36 when she filed for divorce. In her petition, she described a history of domestic violence, and she wrote, in the past, I had contacted the police due to the domestic violence against me that the defendant caused. I was afraid, and I did not continue with the case. On August 17, 2023, Mariorki was granted full custody of her two daughters in court and came back to her parents' place to share the good news. She told them she'd been awarded the house,

the truck, and custody of the children. And according to Alejandra, Mariorki was also awarded spousal support and child support, and Royden was only to have supervised visitation with the children. Around 2.30pm, she received a text message from Royden asking if he could come over so they could switch vehicles. She ignored the text message. Soon after, she was sitting on the second floor balcony with her family. When Royden drove up, he got out of the car and started talking to them on the balcony, asking for her to give him the keys to their Toyota Sienna.

Mariorki said no, saying that she still had possessions in the truck, and when she told him that, he became volatile and enraged. He started climbing up to the balcony toward them, but was pushed back down to the ground. Royden lost all control. Mariorki's daughter recalled that he said something like, I told you not to joke around with me, and then ran around to the front door of the apartment, pounding on the door. He had his gun, and he shot through the security door and the front door to gain entry. Around 2.42 p.m., their 14-year-old daughter called 911 and pleaded with the dispatcher to hurry up and he's got a gun. The 911 operator reported hearing gunshots and screaming after that. Mariorki barricaded herself and the kids in one of the apartment bedrooms, but Royden quickly

broke through the door. He broke in and grabbed Mary Orkey by the hair, pulling her head backward before shooting her three times in the head right in front of her two daughters. He then headed toward the master bedroom where Mary Orkey's parents and brother were. He entered the bedroom and shot Mary Orkey's mother in the eye and her brother-in-law in the elbow. At that point, Mariorki's daughter ran to the kitchen and got a knife and stabbed Royden in the back. He turned toward her and grabbed the knife, and in the struggle, while he tried to push the knife into her chest, he ended up cutting her hand badly enough to need to be hospitalized. Royden then fled the apartment. According to

the 911 operator, there was a lot of commotion and screaming, and the daughter sounded as though she walked away from the phone, the affidavit stated. When she got back to the phone, she said her mother was dead. After the incident, Mary Lou, Mary Orkey's mother, recalled that the kids were yelling for her, me ma, me ma, he's going to kill us. The family was transported to the hospital, and thankfully, Mary Orkey's mother, brother-in-law, and daughter survived. Around 3.10pm, just half an hour later, Royden drove up to a police station, his shirt covered in blood, and when the police asked him what had happened, he fully admitted to the crime, saying, I killed my wife. Police took him into custody and brought him to UMC for treatment of the stab wounds on his back. He also told the police about the divorce hearing and then asked for a lawyer. He was booked and charged with 20

felony counts, including murder with the use of a deadly weapon, two counts of attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon, battery with use of a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm constituting domestic violence, battery with use of a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm constituting domestic violence, battery with use of a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm, assault with a deadly weapon, child abuse, neglect, or endangerment with use of a deadly weapon, 11 counts of discharging a firearm at or into an occupied structure, vehicle, aircraft, or watercraft, and residential burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon. The grand jury met and indicted Royden on all counts, and in the initial hearing, Royden pleaded not guilty to all counts despite having admitted to the crime initially.

His trial was scheduled to begin in August of 2024. In the spring of 2024, Royden's attorney requested a competency evaluation to evaluate if he was mentally competent enough to stand trial. On May 22nd, 2024, Judge Christy Craig relayed the results from the two mental health professionals she had evaluate Royden. Judge Craig stated that she had two incompetent findings, and she noted that Royden was found to possibly have a delusional disorder. Royden was found incompetent, but he was not freed. He was remanded into the custody of a state mental hospital for treatment. If and when his competency is established, he will return to the court to stand trial.

Strangely, during the competency hearing, Royden was quoted as saying, this is a lie. I don't have any mental issues. Later adding that he is not going to plead guilty to something I didn't do. Remember that he walked voluntarily into a police station and freely admitted his guilt. Just volunteering that information, it wasn't even under questioning. Mary Yorkie's two daughters were placed in the care of her two older parents. And according to reporting, one of them was going to have to quit their job to care for her younger daughter, who's only a toddler. We will share the GoFundMe that was created to help defray funeral costs and benefit the girls, helping to pay for their care and education. Alejandra shared that before committing the horrific murder, Royden had cleaned out the bank accounts he had with Mary Orkey,

leaving nothing for the children. Alejandra believes this means that Royden had planned this well beforehand, and as a result of this horrific crime, Mary Lou and her family are left to pick up the pieces. We're very sure the family would appreciate any contributions to help with their sad situation. Mary Orkey was killed less than a year ago, and her estate is not yet resolved. Mary Orkey's mom, Mary Lou, reminded everyone in an interview

to always file charges and never stay quiet in domestic abuse situations. And Mary Orkey's daughter was quoted as saying, I don't know what I'll do without my mom. Our thoughts are with the family as they heal physically and emotionally and hopefully find a way to move forward through this tragedy. I will say that I am very glad that they have Alejandra in their lives to support them and help look out for them. Alejandra stated that the cycle of violence needs to be broken, and we are all the voices for those who are taken from us by domestic violence, so please reach out to resources and continue to support each other. The other aspect of this case is that the murder occurred not only as Mariorki was getting out of the relationship, but she was also granted full custody of their children. In a normal divorce,

that's a contentious topic, but it's yet another thing that can spark violence. There was another recent well-publicized case here in Las Vegas that also serves as a similar cautionary tale. 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 step-mom 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. 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, Dylan 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. 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 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 like we saw in these two cases cannot be ignored, and neither can the risk of gun violence in these highly contentious legal situations. Thank you, as always, for listening. John and I will be discussing our opinions of these two cases in our Swing Shift bonus episode, which is available to all of our Apple Podcasts and Patreon subscribers. Visit sinspod.co slash subscribe to become one of our subscribers and have access to those exclusive episodes. Both of these tragic cases happened less than a year from the date we're recording, and we know the pain these families and our community is feeling is still

very raw. 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.