Las Vegas lawyer shot ex-daughter-in-law, her husband then himself at deposition

A Las Vegas lawyer fatally shot his former daughter-in-law and her new husband at a law office in the city on Monday morning during a deposition in a child custody case, according to police.

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The gunman, Joseph Houston, 77, died after he opened fire during the deposition at the Prince Law Group, the authorities said. Houston killed his former daughter-in-law Ashley Prince, 30, and her husband, Dennis Prince, 57.

Houston died when he turned the gun on himself, according to police.

Houston “stood up, had a very glazed and rattled look in his eyes, pulled out a handgun and shot (Dennis) Prince four times,” according to court documents, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Ashley Prince had asked about private security in the days before she and her husband were shot and killed at a deposition, according to the Review-Journal.

Ashely Prince was in the midst of a custody battle with Dylan Houston, Joseph Prince’s son, The New York Times reported.

During a news conference on Monday, Las Vegas Metropolitan Sheriff Kevin McMahill said police had “a theory” about what transpired at the law office but did not share any details.

According to the Review-Journal, Dennis Prince had sent Dylan Houston material that a private investigator had sent showing Houston drinking and driving as recently as March 29, according to court records.

Houston responded to Prince shortly before the shooting saying in an email, “All you have is this? You needed extra time for it? Luckily you hired Shannon (Wilson), you wouldn’t want to keep paying Jones and Lobello for her work. Hahahaha back to the drawing board I guess, 1000 an hour don’t get much these days. You have no idea what’s coming do you, all your cards are on the table, and I haven’t played one.”

The group had gathered at the deposition to testify in the child custody case.

A divorce decree between Ashley Prince and Dylan Houston granted the pair joint physical and legal custody of two children, according to the Review-Journal. But custody of the children, now 5 and 4, remained in dispute.

Joseph Houston was representing his son who is also an attorney, and Dennis Prince was representing his wife in the dispute.

In a motion filed hours after the shootings, attorneys for Ashley Prince wrote that Dylan Houston’s actions around the time of the shooting suggested that he “knew or must have known of the intentions of his father prior to the commission of these heinous acts.”

Joesph Houston’s wife, Katherine, was also present at the deposition and saw the shooting.

USA Today reported that Joseph Houston had terminal cancer.

Ashley and Dennis Prince were parents to an infant. The infant and the two children Ashley Prince shared with Dylan Houston, were placed in the custody of Ashley Prince’s sister.

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