If You Are Not in a Casket, I Do Not Want to See You.” the Family of a Murdered Las Vegas Mother Highlights Red Flags
LAS VEGAS – The parents of a lady shot and killed by her former father-in-law claimed that a family court judge disregarded their warnings.
On April 8, Ashley Prince, 30, was shot and died. Her husband, Dennis Prince, 57, was also shot and killed when he was defending her during a child custody deposition at his Las Vegas law office. After shooting them, 77-year-old Joseph Houston II, an attorney defending his son Dylan Houston, turned the gun on himself.
“Unfortunately, all of our fears came true,” Ashley Prince’s mother Julie Page stated on Monday at a press conference. “We have felt helpless and devastated for the past two years, watching Ashley suffer threats and verbal and mental abuse from her husband, Dylan Houston.”
Ashley Prince received several threats from Dylan Houston via text messages—up to 70 a day, according to her father Paul Page.
Page perused a few of the texts:
“Unless you’re in a casket, I don’t want to see you.”
“I’ll chip you away until you’re just a worthless bag of bones.”
“I’ll break you in ways you can’t even imagine.”
Paul and Julie Page claimed that their daughter was unsuccessful in her legal battle to obtain protection for her children and herself.
Judge Bill Henderson of the Clark County District Court presided over the case. Henderson was contacted by the investigators from 8 News Now.
An email response from a District Court representative stated, “The court cannot comment due to related pending matters.”
According to papers obtained by 8 News Now Investigators, Dylan Houston, an attorney, emailed Dennis Prince five days prior to the shooting. In the email, he wrote, “You have no idea what’s coming do you, all your cards are on the table and I haven’t played one .”
The email was sent on April 4 at 1:28 a.m.
According to a source familiar with the child custody issue, Dylan Houston seemed to allude to a surveillance report that did not present him in a favorable light.
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De Becker Investigations reported that on March 29th, Dylan Houston was seen drinking excessively. According to the report, Dylan Houston drank five drinks, each containing three shots, over the course of around four hours. Dylan Houston took a wheel and swerved on the road, despite someone else trying to talk him out of it, the report said.
Prior to seeing his kids, Dylan Houston had to submit to breathalyzer tests, per earlier court records related to the child custody dispute. A protective order against Dylan Houston was also a part of the legal battle and was extended in April 2022, according to court documents.
Ashley Prince voiced concerns about her safety before Monday’s child custody deposition.
“Do you recommend any private security systems?” She sent Hal De Becker, a private investigator, a text. “That house has a ton of guns owned by Dylan.”
Ashley Prince canceled the security on the Thursday before the shooting, finding out that her ex-husband would not be at the deposition.
“Monday, nothing—he’s not coming,” she said.
Henderson issued an order on the afternoon of the fatal shooting, granting Ashley Prince’s sister temporary custody of the two children instead of Dylan Houston.
Henderson cited the De Becker Investigations shooting and surveillance report.
Henderson penned, “Based upon the recent acts of Plaintiff’s father and Plaintiff, placing the parties’ minor children with Plaintiff would be detrimental to the children, and the award of custody to a nonparent is required to serve the children’s best interests.”
The 8 News Now Investigators were informed by friends that the Princes had welcomed a kid into the world.
Ashley Prince’s sister, Lexi Page, stated that the three kids are with her.
Paul and Julie Page declared that they would not give up on obtaining custody of their grandchildren.
Following the press conference on Monday afternoon, the Houston family released a statement:
“We can’t even begin to comprehend the Page and Prince families’ heartbreaking sense of loss. We can sympathize with their rage and shock. We are also taken aback. It was unimaginable for any of us to imagine our devoted father acting in such an outrageously uncharacteristic way. It is our goal that despite the gloom, sadness, and despair, we will be able to concentrate on the needs of the kids.
This emphasis includes abstaining from public charges and rebuttals. Dylan is a devoted parent who has a unique focus on his kids’ well-being. We’re hoping Dylan and his kids can get back together soon so we can all start to recover.