During the trial, even the defendant’s own lawyer admitted to the jury that the video evidence, which showed the child falling off the machine six times, would be deeply distressing.
However, the lawyer argued that despite the shocking nature of the video, the boy’s tragic death was not a result of the treadmill incident.
The accused “killer” New Jersey father who forced his 6-year-old son to run on a treadmill did so because the child was “too fat” as a disturbing new video reveals the alleged child abuse.
Christopher Gregor, 31, appeared in court Tuesday to stand trial for allegedly murdering his son Corey Micciolo in 2021. He faces life in prison if convicted.
During the trial, the Superior Court in Ocean City was shown surveillance video of Gregor forcing Corey to run on a treadmill after the boy fell off multiple times due to the exercise machine’s excessive speed.
Gregor and his son were seen on March 20, 2021, entering the Atlantic Heights Clubhouse fitness center, where the boy was promptly placed on the treadmill and began running, according to video, obtained by CourtTV.com.
Footage captured Gregor walking up to the treadmill to increase the speed and raise the incline of the track.
The sudden changes were too much for the little boy’s legs, causing him to fall down and slide off the moving track.
Gregor lifted his son and tossed him back onto the treadmill, which forced the child’s legs to fold backward as the father seemingly clamped his teeth into Corey’s head.
The boy gets back on, but again falls off and continues to struggle to remain on the machine, eventually leading the father to decrease both the the speed and incline.
The boy’s mother, Bre Micciolo, was the first witness to take the stand, and was in tears as she watched the horrific video.
Days before her son’s death, Bre Micciolo reported the boy’s injuries to the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency, according to the US Sun.
On April 1, she requested that Gregor take their son to see a doctor.
While at the appointment, Corey reportedly revealed his father made him run on the treadmill “because he was too fat,” the outlet reported.
The next day, Gregor rushed the young boy to the hospital because the boy woke up from a nap stumbling, slurring his words, and experiencing nausea and shortness of breath, according to Court TV.
During a CT scan, Corey suffered a seizure, forcing medical staff to take life-saving measures, but were unsuccessful.
An initial autopsy found Corey died as a result of blunt force injuries with cardiac and liver contusions with acute inflammation and sepsis.
Gregor was arrested in July 2021 on child neglect charges stemming from investigators reviewing the surveillance footage from the fitness center.
“Specifically by having (Corey) run on a treadmill and increasing the speed, causing (Corey) to fall, placing (him) back on the moving treadmill while appearing to bite his head, causing the said child to fall several more times,” an arrest warrant obtained by the outlet read.
In September 2021, a forensic pathologist determined Corey’s death to be a homicide as he suffered from chronic abuse including blunt impact injuries on his chest and abdomen with a laceration on his heart, left pulmonary contusion, and laceration and contusion of his liver.
Dr. Thomas Andrew believes Corey suffered an acute traumatic injury to the heart four to 12 hours before his death, according to Court TV.
Gregor was arrested on March 9, 2022, for his son’s death.
He has since turned down a 30-year plea deal and is being held in the Ocean City Jail without bond.
via: NYPost
