Monday, June 9, 1997 | 6:17 a.m.
With the weekend arrest of Robert Wayne Jones, a material witness who has been on the lam for almost a year, relatives and friends of murdered local bookmaker Bruce Weinstein say they hope Metro Police finally will be able to solve the case.
One of the first people Metro homicide detectives called after Jones' Saturday arrest at his Las Vegas home was Sylvia White, Weinstein's mother.
"I've been praying for this day to come," White said. "I finally got the call I've been waiting for after 11 months."
The arrest of Jones, 58, means the police finally will be able to question him about Weinstein's murder.
Weinstein disappeared July 7, 1996, from his southwest Las Vegas home that he shared with his girlfriend Amy DeChant, 49.
The remains of the 46-year-old bookmaker were discovered Aug. 11 in a makeshift grave off the Old Alamo Highway about half a mile west of State Route 168.
Immediately, the investigation focused on two people: DeChant, who operated a local carpet-cleaning business, and Jones, her employee.
Three weeks after Weinstein disappeared, DeChant was arrested when police found more than $100,000 in cash, false birth certificates and wigs in her car.
After spending nearly two months in the Harford County, Md., jail, DeChant was released Sept. 13 after Michael Gerber, her brother, posted $5,000 cash bail. The bail amount had been reduced from $2 million, according to court records.
DeChant, who is believed to be in Las Vegas, could not be reached for comment Sunday.
A poker player, DeChant routinely plays low-limit tournaments in Las Vegas casinos.
"I saw her a few days ago. She was playing (poker) at the Orleans," said a Las Vegas dealer. "I know she's around."
Sources said Jones, who disappeared July 12, had traveled back and forth from Southern California to his house in Las Vegas before he finally was apprehended.
A tipster called police about 3:30 p.m. Saturday and reported Jones was going into his home, police said.
Patrol officers arrived at the home Saturday afternoon, and Jones' wife, Cheryl, refused to allow them in the home and denied having seen Jones. Homicide detectives were summoned, and they talked Jones into surrendering.
He was taken into custody and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on the warrant.
Cheryl Jones declined to comment Sunday on her husband's arrest.
Investigators, who refer to DeChant as a suspect in the murder, note that they found blood stains in the freshly cleaned carpets of Weinstein's home after searching for clues to his disappearance.
Other sources point out that a rolled-up spare piece of carpet is believed to be missing from the garage of the home, and that DeChant changed her story about the events leading to Weinstein's disappearance before she and Jones disappeared.
White, who makes no secret of the fact that she believes DeChant murdered her son, said she believes that with the arrest of Jones, police finally have the last piece of the puzzle.
"This has been the longest year of my life, but today I'm very happy that they've finally caught him (Jones)," White said. "With his capture, I believe the police have a good case. And I'm going to go to the cemetery this afternoon to tell my son."
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