A New Jersey father who made his 6-year-old son run on a treadmill while speeding has been convicted in his death, according to Newsweek, the NY Post and USA Today.
On Friday, May 31, after a month-long trial and nearly two days of jury deliberations, Christopher Gregor, 31, was found guilty of child endangerment and aggravated manslaughter in the death of his son, Corey Micciolo. Gregor was found not guilty of first degree murder.
“We are pleased with the verdict and thank the prosecution,” Micciolo’s mother, Breanna Micciolo, told reporters outside Ocean County Superior Court, per USA Today. “He deserves to be in jail. He is a very bad man.”
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During the trial, in which Gregor did not testify, jurors were shown surveillance footage from the Atlantic Heights Clubhouse in Barnegat, NJ, dated March 20, 2021. The footage allegedly shows Corey running on a treadmill while Gregor leaves for a machine workout . The father began to increase his speed, causing Corey to trip and fall. Whenever Corey fell, Gregor would put him back on the treadmill and make him even stronger. At one point in the video, he appeared to bite his son on the head.
Days later, Corey was taken to a doctor and said his father made him run on a treadmill because he was “too fat,” the NY Post reported. A day later, he was taken to the hospital after he started stumbling, slurred speech, nausea and breathing problems after a nap. During the CT scan, he had a seizure and died.
In July 2021, the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Corey “suffered injuries from blunt force trauma.”
Gregor was arrested and charged in March 2022.
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Although his legal team disputed that the child died of an infection during the trial, his mother took the stand and said she filed for sole custody of Corey after seeing bruises on him, Newsweek reported.
Meanwhile, prosecutors argued that while the treadmill incident may not have caused the child’s death, it did prove a cycle of abuse that led to the tragedy, according to USA Today.
“Finally, justice has been served for Corey,” Ocean County District Attorney Bradley Billhimer told the USA Today Network Asbury Park Press.
“Christopher Gregor must live the rest of his life with the knowledge that he, and he alone, is responsible for the death of his only son,” Billhimer added. “While nothing can return this precious child to his family, we hope that today’s jury verdict offers some semblance of peace and closure for those who knew and loved Corey.”
Gregor’s attorney said his client was “not surprised” by the jury’s decision and plans to appeal.
Gregor’s sentencing is scheduled for August 2. He could get up to 40 years in prison.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education