Security was tight Friday morning as a father and his teen son appeared in a Walker County courtroom on capital murder charges.

Corey Mahaffey, 36, and Kaison Mahaffey, 16, are charged in the January slaying of 32-year-old Matthew Douglas Perrigan.

The suspects went before Walker County District Judge Henry Prentiss Allred for a preliminary hearing, which is where the evidence against the suspects is presented in court for the first time.

The heightened security included a helicopter as a precaution.

“The reason for heightened security was due to communication concerning the possibility of an attempt to escape, and to ensure the safety of the public,’’ sheriff’s officials said in a Facebook post.

“The two allegedly planned to overtake officers during the transport and flee the area,’’ authorities said.

Allred ruled there was enough evidence against them to present the case to a grand jury for indictment consideration. Father and son remain held in the Walker County Jail without bond.

At the time of their arrests, Kaison Mahaffey was already wanted in Blount County on an unrelated shooting charge.

Perrigan was fatally shot about 5 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, on Hill Drive in Quinton near the line of Walker and Jefferson counties. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Two other men, whose names have not been released, were transported to UAB Hospital.

Sheriff’s Investigator Carl Carpenter said the deadly shooting happened over the robbery of car.

Authorities launched a manhunt for the father and son.

During the search, Corey Mahaffey commented on the Walker County Sheriff’s Office page that he wasn’t anywhere near the crime scene when the shooting took place.

Sheriff Nick Smith communicated with Corey Mahaffey through the day and eventually provided the sheriff with a location where he could be found.

Roughly an hour later, Kaison Mahaffey was taken into custody after a brief standoff in Empire.

Carpenter said all involved were acquaintances. He said he believed a semi-automatic handgun was used in the triple shooting but said the weapon has not been recovered.