Father’s killer, who left toddler to die in SUV, gets 60 years

In the middle of a sweltering 94-degree September day in 2022, Bolanle Fadairo shot Michael Essien in the parking lot of a Hispanic grocery and stole his SUV.

Essien died outside the store. But it wasn’t until hours later that a frantic search started for another victim — Essien’s 2-year-old son Micah — who had been in the SUV’s back seat.

The search ended in tragedy. Micah was found dead in the abandoned Chevy hours later. It had been parked, turned off with its windows rolled up on an apartment-lined street less than 2 miles from the store.

Fadairo, 40, was found and arrested a day later. Last week, he was sentenced to spend 60 years in prison, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Fadairo pleaded guilty to two counts of murder on April 12, the day his trial was scheduled to begin.

“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.”

At the time of the shooting, Fadairo was a felon and “essentially homeless,” according to the DA’s office. Fadairo and Essien knew each other from high school, and Essien was trying to help the other man by giving him odd jobs and letting him use his home address for mail.

Around 1:45 p.m. on Sept. 20, 2022, the men met in the parking lot of Supermercados Teloloapan in the 5500 block of El Camino Del Rey. They argued about money, and Fadairo shot Essein, according to prosecutors. The shooting was caught on surveillance video.

Fadiaro stole Essien’s SUV and drove away. It wasn’t until hours later that police found out that a child was missing. Essien’s wife called police to report them missing and provided them with a description of the SUV. Micah and the vehicle were found around 7 p.m.

Fadairo was arrested Sept. 21. He had been in custody since his arrest.

Fadairo must serve at least 30 years in prison before he will be eligible for parole, according to the DA’s office. He cannot appeal either of the two murder convictions or the prison sentence.