The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department has announced the arrest of two suspects in connection with the late September killing of 23-year-old international Syracuse University student Xiaopeng Yuan near the Springfield Garden Apartments in DeWitt. Police say the murder was a result of a drug transaction and robbery.
Sheriff Gene Conway reported Cameron Issac, 23, of S. Main Street, North Syracuse and Ninimbe Mitchell, 20, of Willis Avenue, Syracuse, were arrested on Nov. 17 and both charged with murder in the second degree, robbery in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree after a lengthy investigation with the DeWitt Police Department and the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office.
Conway said the victim, Yuan, met with the suspects on Sept. 30 for an apparent drug transaction at the Springfield Garden Apartments, when Issac and Mitchell robbed, shot and killed Yuan and left his body behind 16 Caton Drive. The victim’s car was left behind, and drugs were found in the car, which led police to believe the incident might have been drug related, Conway said.
District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said the arrests were made possible through surveillance and digital evidence obtained during the investigation. Both Mitchell and Issac had prior police contact, said Fitzpatrick, and Yuan was acquainted with one of the suspects so it was not a random act.
“It was a long and difficult investigation, especially because of the human element,” said Fitzpatrick. “This was the result of dogged, fantastic detective work.”
Law enforcement said they could not release the details of what type of drug was involved or what the victim was robbed of due to the possibility of a grand jury trial. Issac and Mitchell were arraigned in the Town of DeWitt Justice Center Nov. 17 and are being held without bail.
Yuan was an international student from China, and his parents have been made aware of the arrests, Conway said.
Fitzpatrick said there is a possibility the charge of murder in the second degree could be upgraded to murder in the first degree during trial because the act seemed to be intentional.
The weapon involved in the homicide has not been recovered, and Fitzpatrick urged anyone who might have information about the whereabouts of the weapon to contact law enforcement and submitting an anonymous tip by texting TIPONON and your tip to 847411, or by going to sheriff.ongov.net/tip411/.
