Man gets 60 years in prison for 2022 murders of a dad and his 2-year-old son, Harris County DA says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for the 2022 murders of a father and his 2-year-old son, according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

The video above is from a previous report.

Bolanle Olayinka Fadairo, 40, pleaded guilty earlier this month to two counts of murder in the deaths of Michael Essien, 38, and his son, Micah.

"The family in this case lost a loving father and a little boy who was the most innocent of victims," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. "We were ready to go to trial to seek justice and hold this killer accountable, and now he will be behind bars for decades and hopefully the rest of his life."

Essien, a married father of four, and Fadairo were friends in high school. Essien spent many months trying to help Fadairo get back on his feet, even offering to give the convicted criminal odd jobs in exchange for cash. Essien even allowed Fadairo to receive mail at his home address since he was essentially homeless, according to the DA's office.

The two men had an argument about whether Fadairo had finished a certain task that Essien had given him. Fadairo confronted Essien and demanded money in the middle of the day on Sept. 20. 2022.

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

Surveillance footage captured Fadairo and Essien fighting outside a strip store in the 5500 block of El Camino Del Rey and Chimney Rock in southwest Houston. Fadairo is seen grabbing a gun and shooting Essien, who died at the scene.

Following that, Fadairo got into Essien's Chevrolet SUV, where the toddler was buckled up in the third-row backseat.

Surveillance footage also showed Fadairo getting out of the SUV after driving a few miles to another location. The video shows Fadairo parking the stolen vehicle and rolling up the windows in the sweltering heat.

A few hours later, the stolen SUV was located by Houston Police Department officers. The toddler was found dead inside, and Fadairo was arrested the following day.

Fadairo must serve at least 30 years of imprisonment before being eligible for parole. He is unable to challenge the prison sentence or either of the two murder convictions as a condition of the plea deal.

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