When Leaving Isn't Enough

Episode #36 When Leaving Isn't Enough

[Shaun]

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.

[John] 

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.

[Shaun] 

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, Shaun, and with me as always, is the one and only John.

[John] 

I am the only John in the room.

[Shaun] 

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 the United States sometimes not, but very 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, Marillorky. Most of what we know comes from local reporting, which includes quotes from her mother and from her teen daughter. 

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 Marillorky’s family has her in their lives. 

Do you want to get us started with what we were able to find out about Marillorky?

[John] 

Sure. Marillorky was born on December 14th, 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 in Las Vegas. 

Marillorky really dove into her life here in the United States and had a wide variety of jobs and an obviously very high level of motivation. She got her real estate license and had an extremely active Real Estate career with the Solution Realty Group. Her work-focused Facebook is full of listings. 

She was an entrepreneur, working as a notary and as 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 Dad. 

Her mother described her by saying  “She was a model family member, everyone wanted to be like her,” and “She was pretty much the head of the family, a 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. 

Marillorky was very smart, savvy, and resourceful, and rightfully very proud of her accomplishments. As a single mom, she had purchased her own home, and one for her parents as well.

Alejandra explained that Marillorky was everything to her parents. She was their transportation and their translator. She was their support system and their guide. 

Marillorky married Roidan Durruthy-Mendoza in 2020. He is the father of her younger daughter, and he is a volatile and terrifying domestic abuser. 

According to Alejandra, Marillorky’s daughter noticed that after she met Roidan, she changed. She didn’t smile as much, and she wouldn’t play loud music or act like her usual joyful, boisterous self. There is 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 Roidan 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 that he would kill anyone like a dog who came in his house,”

[Shaun] 

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 Roidan and leave him multiple times. Las Vegas Metro police reported that Roidan and Marillorky had a history of both verbal and physical fights.

On July 6th, 2023, Marillorky filed for divorce and went to stay with her parents who lived at “Destinations Spring Valley” at 3925 South Jones.. A 55+ 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, and when someone is able to get to the point where they leave, that’s the most dangerous time for them. 

According to data from theHotline.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 over 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 period. Someone filing for divorce can definitely trigger this sense of loss of control.

Not only that,  but women between the ages of 18-34, are more vulnerable to severe intimate partner violence. For the record, Marillorky was 36 when she filed for divorce.

In her petition, she described a history of domestic violence. 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.”

[John] 

On August 17th, 2023, Marillorky 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, Marillokry was awarded spousal support and child support, and Roidan was only to have supervised visitation with the children.

Around 2:30pm she received a text message from Roidan 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 Roidan drove up, got out of his car, and started talking to them on the balcony. Asking for her to give him the keys to their Toyota Sienna.

Marillorky 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.

Roidan then lost all control. Marillorky’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.

[Shaun] 

Around 2:42 pm, their 14-year-old daughter called 9-1-1, and pleaded with the dispatcher “Hurry up” and “he's got a gun”. The 9-1-1 operator reported hearing gunshots and screaming after that.

Marillorky barricaded herself and the kids in one of the apartment bedrooms, but Roidan quickly broke through the door. He broke in,  grabbed Marillorky by the hair, pulling her head backward before shooting her three times in the head... Right in front of her two children.

He then headed toward the master bedroom where Marillorky’s parents and brother were. He entered the bedroom and shot Marillorky’s mother in the eye, and her brother-in-law in the elbow 

At that point, Marillorky’s daughter ran to the kitchen got a knife, and stabbed him 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. Roidan then fled the apartment

According to the 9-1-1 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,  Marilu recalled that the kids were yelling for her “MeMaw MeMaw he’s going to kill us.”

The family was transported to the hospital and thankfully Marillorky’s mother, brother-in-law, and daughters survived. 

[John] 

Around 3:10 pm, just a half hour later, Roidan drove up to a police station, his shirt covered in blood, and when the police asked him what 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 Use Of A Deadly Weapon
• 2 counts of Attempt 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 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 Roidan on all counts, and in the initial hearing, Roidan pleaded not guilty to all the counts despite having admitted to the crime initially, his trial was scheduled to begin in August of 2024.

[Shaun] 

In the spring of 2024, Roidan’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 Roidan. Judge Craig stated she “had two incompetent findings”, and she noted that Roidan was found to possibly have “a delusional disorder”. 

Roidan 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, at the competency hearing, Roidan 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 into a police station and freely admitted his guilt, just volunteering that information. It wasn't even under questioning.

Marillorky’s two daughters were placed in the care of her two elderly parents, and according to reporting, one of them was going to have to quit their job to care for her younger daughter, who was only a toddler.

We’ll share the GoFundMe that was created to help defray funeral costs and benefit the girls, helping pay for their care and education. Alejandra shared that before committing the horrific murder, Roidan cleaned out the bank accounts he had with Marillorky, leaving nothing for the children. Alejandra believes this means that Roidan had planned this well beforehand, and as a result of this horrific crime, Marilu 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. Marilloky was killed less than a year ago, and her estate is not yet resolved. 

Marillorky’s mom reminded everyone in an interview to “always file charges” and “never stay quiet” in domestic abuse situations, and her 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 all are the voices for those who are taken from us by domestic violence, so please reach out to resources and continue to support each other. 

[John] 

The other aspect of this case is that the murder occurred not only as Marillorky 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 well-publicized case here in Las Vegas that also serves as a similar cautionary tale.

On April 8th, 2024, Ashley Prince, Age 30, was attending a deposition related to a long 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’s Summerlin Law Office. 

Dylan, who was not present, was represented by his father, Attorney Joseph Houston. Dennis Prince was set to ask questions of Katherine Houston (Joseph’s wife, and Dylan’s mother). She was represented by Attorney Lisa Rasmussen. There was one other lawyer present from Dennis Prince’s law group named Shannon Wilson, who was pregnant at the time.

As you can probably tell, this was a VERY contentious deposition as part of a very nasty custody battle.

The deposition started at 10am.

According to Lisa Rasmussen, as they started, Joe then 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 acknowledge the question but simply started asking Katherine questions.

Just a couple of minutes into the deposition, according to a court document, Attorney Joe Houston, 77 years old, “stood up, had a very glazed 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 he turned the gun on himself.

Shannon, Lisa, Katherine, and the unnamed court reporter survived the incident.

[Shaun] 

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 4 months old. 

Ashley was born on August 17th, 1993 right here in Las Vegas, the oldest of 4 siblings.. Her brother’s name is Bryce, and her sisters are named Lexie 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 that her daughter would soon be starting kindergarten.

Dennis was also a Las Vegas Native. That seems fairly 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 4 children, 3 from prior relationships plus the new baby, a son-in-law, 2 stepchildren (Ashley’s kids), and 1 grandson. He was beloved in the community and loved the beach, golfing, and cheering for his kids at their sporting events.

[John]

He was well respected in the legal community and a deeply trusted mentor to friends and colleagues, and was described as being kind, generous, and compassionate. People said he was always the best dressed and the life of the party.

Ashley’s sister Lexie 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 with her kids in mind. “They were always her first intention. She wanted the best life for them.”

On the day of Dennis’s funeral, some 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 Prince had looks; he had a brain; a stylish dresser; a very talented, very talented trial attorney; and charming as they come.”

“I just thought very, very highly of him,” Former Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak said. “He always was very amicable, very nice, very easy to get along with.”

“I hope that people will remember him as just 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.”

[Shaun] 

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. 

After 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 4 years. She had to take out a restraining order against him in 2021 because he allegedly “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.

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 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 another 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 said they expected violence, but from Dylan, not from 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”

[John]

Currently, Ashley’s family has temporary custody of the children and they are working tirelessly to maintain it, but the case is ongoing. 

Both of these cases are horrible and tragic. The thought of Ashley, Dennis, and Marillorky’s children growing up in a world where their parents were taken from them is incredibly heartbreaking.

Another Las Vegas Lawyer named Michancy Cramer 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 as we saw in these two cases cannot be ignored, and neither can the risk of gun violence in these highly contentious legal situations.

[Shaun] 

Thank you as always for listening. John and I will be discussing our opinions on these two cases in our Swing Shift Bonus episode which is available to all of our Apple Podcast and Patreon subscribers. Visit sinspod.co/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 of recording, and we know the pain these families and our community are 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 with another new episode next week, thanks again, and remember, what happens here, happens everywhere.