Justice foundation seeks review of Cameron Isaac murder conviction

The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice is pressing for another look at Cameron Isaac’s murder conviction, arguing that the case that sent him to prison for life rested on shaky proof and overlooked signs of innocence.

Isaac was convicted in 2017 in the killing of Syracuse University exchange student Xiaopeng Yuan, a 23-year-old mathematics student from Qingdao, China. Yuan was found shot to death on Sept. 30, 2016, behind the Springfield Garden Apartments in DeWitt, a case Onondaga County authorities originally described as a drug deal gone bad.

Sheriff Gene Conway announced the arrests of Isaac, then 23 of North Syracuse, and Ninimbe Mitchell, 20 of Syracuse, in November 2016. Prosecutors said the pair tried to steal about 2 pounds of marijuana and that Isaac shot Yuan during the robbery. The murder weapon was never recovered. Mitchell was later acquitted of murder but sentenced to 15 years on robbery charges, while Isaac received life in prison without parole from Judge John Brunetti in September 2017.

The foundation now says the conviction should be revisited because the case had no DNA evidence, no eyewitnesses and no recovered weapon. Spectrum News reported that prosecutors leaned heavily on cell phone tower data, while the foundation says its review also raised concerns about questionable testimony, ineffective counsel and a threatened person referenced at trial.

The filing is notable because it comes nearly 10 years after the conviction and after Isaac’s 2021 appeal was rejected by the Appellate Division, Fourth Department. That makes any effort to reopen the case especially difficult, since courts usually give final convictions strong protection and require a high showing before disturbing a life sentence.

The foundation’s argument appears aimed at that narrow opening, pointing to a U.S. Supreme Court decision that broadened the ability to seek review when new evidence of actual innocence emerges. To change Isaac’s status now, the foundation must convince a court that the new material was not previously available, is credible and could have altered the verdict.

The broader backdrop is the Deskovic organization itself, founded by Jeffrey Deskovic after he was wrongfully convicted and later exonerated. The Exoneration Project says it has cleared more than 200 clients since 2007, a reminder of how rare, but not impossible, post-conviction reversals can be when new evidence forces the system to take a second look.