HOUSTON — A 40-year-old Houston man was sentenced to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing a man who had been trying to help him get back on his feet as well as that man's young son.
Editor's note: The videos in this article are from previous reports.
Bolanle Olayinka Fadairo, a convicted felon who was essentially homeless at the time of the crimes, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder on the day before his trial was set to begin earlier this month.
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"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."
The crime
Michael Essien, 38, spent months trying to help Fadairo, including providing him with jobs so he could make money. Fadairo and Essien had been friends since high school. Essien, a husband and father of four, even let Fadairo use his home address to get mail.
On Sept. 20, 2022, Fadairo confronted Essien at a shopping center near the intersection of Chimney Rock and the Southwest Freeway over a misunderstanding about a job. Fadairo demanded money from Essien at the strip center in the middle of the day.
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During the argument, Fadairo pulled out a gun and shot Essien, who died at the scene. Fadairo then took Essien's SUV with his 2-year-old son, Micah, in the backseat.
Fadario ditched the vehicle a few miles away. In surveillance video, he's seen parking the SUV, turning it off and locking it with the windows rolled up.
When Houston police found the abandoned SUV hours later, the child was found dead inside. The outside temperature reached the low 90s that day. Fadairo was arrested the following day.
"This is a terrible tragedy, and the plea agreement is not going to bring back Mike and Micah, but hopefully the family can find some peace because it is the end of the legal battle," Assistant District Attorney Christopher Condon said. "Finally, this defendant took responsibility for ending both lives."
Fadairo has to serve at least 30 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole and he can't appeal the convictions or the prison sentence.