A DAD accused of forcing his six-year-old son to run on a treadmill for “being too fat” weeks before his tragic death is expected to claim he died from pneumonia – and not his alleged abuse.
Christopher Gregor, 31, is charged with killing Corey Micciolo, whose death in 2021 was ruled as a homicide due to chronic child abuse.
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Gregor was caught on gym surveillance footage on March 20 2021 appearing to force Corey to run on a treadmill despite him falling off repeatedly.
Corey’s mom later found bruises on the little boy and took him to a doctor, who was told by Corey that his dad had made him run on the treadmill for “being too fat.”
Gregor is currently standing trial in Toms River, New Jersey, where his lawyer, Mario Gallucci, addressed jurors during opening statements.
“When you see that video, you’re going to be horrified,” Gallucci said, per the Asbury Park Press.
“You’re going to be mortified. Corey’s death had absolutely nothing to do with that treadmill.”
Gallucci told the jury that defense experts will testify Corey died as a result of sepsis caused by a bout of pneumonia.
He added that when Corey’s mom, Breanna Micciolo, was told by the Community Medical Center her son might have sepsis she signed him out against medical advice.
However, prosecutors say it was Gregor’s constant abuse that left the boy with internal injuries, which he would die from two weeks after the treadmill incident.
Surveillance footage shows Gregor making his son do the harsh workout at the Atlantic Heights Clubhouse fitness center on March 20, 2021.
While Corey was on the treadmill, his father could be seen increasing the speed and incline until the boy fell off.
Gregor is then seen picking his son up and putting him back on the machine.
However, Corey falls again and has trouble keeping up with the speed.
Eventually, Gregor lowers the speed and gives Corey a break.
Case against Christopher J. Gregor
Christopher J. Gregor has been charged with child endangerment and murder charges for the death of his son Corey Micciolo on April 2, 2021.
On March 20, 2021, security footage from the gym in Gregor’s building showed the father allegedly forced his 6-year-old son to run on the treadmill.
As the machine sped up, Corey fell off and was picked up by his shirt and placed back on it by Gregor.
The boy fell another five times before the speed was lowered.
Corey’s mother, Bre Micciolo, noticed bruises on his body allegedly from the treadmill incident, according to her testimony.
She brought him to the hospital on April 1 and Corey shared that Gregor allegedly told him to run on the treadmill “because he was too fat.”
On April 2, Gregor brought Corey to the hospital saying that he was sleepy and throwing up. The boy was admitted to the emergency department where he later died.
The following day, Dr. Dante Ragusa, an Ocean County medical examiner, performed his autopsy and concluded that the cause of death was due to blunt force injuries, along with cardiac and liver contusions, acute inflammation, and sepsis, according to Court TV. He ruled his findings “undetermined.”
About six months after Corey’s death, Dr. Thomas Andrew, a consulting forensic pathologist reviewed the case and determined it was homicide.
He also found evidence that led him to believe Corey was chronically abused.
This included blunt impact injuries on his chest and abdomen with a laceration on his heart, left pulmonary contusion, and laceration and contusion of his liver.
Gregor’s attorney continues to deny any wrongdoing on Gregor’s part claiming that Corey’s death was due to a sepsis infection and not bruising.
AUTOPSY RESULTS
The boy’s mother, Breanna Micciolo, who was in a custody dispute with Gregor, testified in court that she later saw bruises on her son.
“He had a bruise on his forehead,” the mother said.
“It was very odd-shaped. It looked like an impression. He had one on his chest. It looked like a scrape.”
She took the boy to a pediatrician, who didn’t find anything alarming with him.
But Corey told the doctor that his father made him run on the treadmill “because he was too fat.”
On April 2, 2021, Corey began slurring his words after waking up from a nap and was stumbling around and feeling nauseous.
Gregor rushed him to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
You’re going to be mortified. Corey’s death had absolutely nothing to do with that treadmill.
Mario Gallucci
“This defendant had carried Corey’s nearly limp body into Southern Ocean Medical Center. He reported that Corey was sleepy and throwing up. Corey was admitted quickly and he was brought to Room 6 in the emergency department,” Assistant Prosecutor Jamie Schron told the jury.
“He was intubated, he coded again. He lost his pulse and by 5:03 pm Corey was pronounced dead.”
An autopsy was performed on April 3 by Dr. Dante Ragusa, an Ocean County medical examiner.
Dr. Ragusa concluded that Corey died from blunt force injuries with cardiac and liver contusions, acute inflammation, and sepsis, according to Court TV.
Three months later, Gregor was arrested on charges of child neglect after the video was reviewed.
Corey’s death was ruled as a homicide in September 2021 by a forensic pathologist, who said he faced chronic child abuse, including blunt force injuries to his chest and stomach and a laceration to his heart.
However, Gallucci argued that it was a sepsis infection that caused Corey’s death.
Gregor was charged with murder on March 9, 2022.
Micciolo admitted under cross-examination that she and some friends vandalized Gregor’s parents’ home with eggs and dead fish after Corey’s death.
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