Judge issues no bond for man charged with murder in deaths of a father and 2-year-old son

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A judge did not set bond for a man accused in the murders of a father and his 2-year-old son during a court appearance on Friday morning.

Bolanle Fadairo, 38, is accused of shooting and killing 38-year-old Michael Essien during an argument over money outside a strip center in the 5500 block of El Camino Del Rey on Tuesday afternoon.

He allegedly took his vehicle and abandoned it with Essien's 2-year-old child inside.

Investigators said Fadairo was captured on camera parking the stolen car, turning it off, and locking it with the windows rolled up while the temperature outside reached 93 degrees. The boy was found dead inside the stolen vehicle hours later.

Fadairo went before a judge in the 482nd court on Friday morning.

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He appeared shackled and in an orange jumpsuit, but he did not say anything during the hearing.

Fadairo is charged with two counts of murder and one count of tampering with physical evidence. He allegedly tried to destroy text messages after the murders, according to records.

"(Fadairo) admitted he had incriminating texts between him and the decedent, detailing disagreement about money, and deleted them after he killed decedent," the judge said.

Records revealed that Fadairo knew Essien for about 30 years and even used the victim's home address to receive mail, according to court video.

"(Fadairo) stated the argument started from (Essien) owing him money," court documents read. Fadairo was employed by Essien.

SEE ALSO: Suspect accused in killing a father and his toddler granted $750K bond for each murder charge

A judge in probable cause court previously set Fadairo's bond at $1.5 million -- but the bond amount was changed at Friday's appearance. The judge changed his bond amount to zero because of the possibility that his charges may be upgraded to capital murder.

"Because of the ongoing nature of the investigation and the possibility that the charge may be increased, I believe that the judge determined that, hold off on the bond right now, keep it at zero, until that determination can be made," chief prosecutor Jim O'Donnell said.

The prosecutor said one of the factors they are investigating is if Fadairo knew if the 2-year-old child was in the backseat of the stolen car.

It was revealed in court that he never acknowledged if he knew the child was in the back or not.

According to Fadairo's attorney, the suspect works three jobs to support a child, earning $15,000 a year.

Fadairo's next hearing is scheduled in 45 days.

For news updates, follow Charly Edsitty on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

ORIGINAL REPORT: 2-year-old found dead inside vehicle that was stolen from shooting victim in SW Houston, HPD says