David R. Houston

David R. Houston was one of Reno, Nevada's most prominent criminal defense attorneys, practicing law in the Reno area for more than three decades. Admitted to the State Bar of Nevada in 1978, he built a career defending clients in high-profile murder cases and other serious criminal matters, earning a reputation among colleagues as one of the region's most formidable trial lawyers. Fellow attorneys described him as the top defense attorney in Reno, and Judge Scott Freeman called him 'the most brilliant lawyer I have ever seen.'

Houston's practice drew national attention through a series of notable clients and cases. He represented professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, and a jury awarded Hogan a $140,000,000 verdict in his lawsuit against Gawker. He also represented 'Girls Gone Wild' founder Joe Francis and Scott Thorson, and handled matters including a major drug trafficking investigation, litigation arising from the Little Valley Fire, and the defense of a man convicted in the killing of Nevada Controller Kathy Augustine. He successfully secured the overturning of a murder conviction against a defendant in a 2013 casino shootout.

Beyond the courtroom, Houston became a familiar public figure, appearing on national programs such as Larry King, Geraldo Rivera, and NBC's Dateline, and co-hosting a local interview program, 'Lawyers, Guns and Money,' with Judge Scott Freeman in the late 1990s. He died on December 11, 2021, at the age of 69, and was survived by his wife and two sons.