Christopher Gregor, 31, a New Jersey father, is on trial for the alleged murder of his 6-year-old son, Corey Micciolo, in 2021. Video evidence presented during the trial shows Gregor forcing his son to run on a treadmill at the Atlantic Heights Clubhouse fitness center, allegedly because the child was “too fat.” The footage captured Gregor increasing the speed and incline of the treadmill, causing the boy to fall multiple times and struggle to remain on the machine.
Corey Micciolo’s mother, Bre Micciolo, was the first witness to testify during the trial and was visibly distraught as she watched the disturbing video. Days before the child’s death, Bre reported her son’s injuries to the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency and requested that Gregor bring Corey to see a doctor. During the doctor’s appointment, Corey revealed that his father made him run on the treadmill because he was overweight. The day after the appointment, the boy was rushed to the hospital after experiencing alarming symptoms such as stumbling, slurring his words, nausea, and shortness of breath. A CT scan revealed that Corey had suffered a seizure, and despite medical efforts, he did not survive.
An initial autopsy report found that Corey Micciolo died as a result of blunt force injuries with cardiac and liver contusions, acute inflammation, and sepsis. Gregor was subsequently arrested on child neglect charges after investigators reviewed the surveillance footage from the fitness center. A forensic pathologist later determined Micciolo’s death to be a homicide, citing chronic abuse including blunt impact injuries to the chest and abdomen, a laceration on the heart, pulmonary contusion, and liver contusion.
In September 2021, Dr. Thomas Andrew determined that Micciolo had suffered an acute traumatic injury to the heart hours before his death. Gregor was arrested on March 9, 2022, in connection with his son’s death. Despite being offered a 30-year plea deal, Gregor turned it down and is currently being held in the Ocean City Jail without bond as he awaits trial. If found guilty, Gregor faces life in prison for the alleged murder of his young son, Corey Micciolo, in a case that has shocked the local community and sparked conversations about child abuse and neglect. The trial continues as the court examines the evidence and hears from witnesses who shed light on the tragic events leading to Corey’s untimely death.
