Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing
A father who is accused of killing his six-year-old son once 'forced him to run on treadmill' because he was 'too fat'.
The trial for the man accused of the heinous crime, Christopher Gregor, is now underway in Ocean County, New Jersey.
Gregor faces charges of child endangerment and murder following the tragic death of his son, Corey Micciolo, in April 2021.
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The case will focus primarily on two key dates.
The first is 20 March, 2021, the day Gregor allegedly injured his son, and 2 April, 2021, the day Corey sadly died.
The case presented the 16 jurors with the shocking security footage taken 20 March 2021 which showed Gregor continuously place Corey on a treadmill located inside inside the Atlantic Heights apartment complex in Barnegat where the father lived.
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The footage shows Corey very clearly struggling to keep up with the pace of the machine and lose his footing multiple times.
Corey could also be seen falling over multiple times while his father carried on forcing him to run.
Prosecutors have said it was this falling, over half a dozen times, which led to the bruising found on the Corey's body.
Assistant Prosecutor Jamie Schron reportedly spent 10 minutes presenting the case to the jury and alternates, comprised of nine women and seven men, against Gregor before the heartbreaking footage was shown.
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"This defendant had carried Corey's nearly limp body into Southern Ocean Medical Center," Schron said. "He reported that Corey was sleepy and throwing up. Corey was admitted quickly and he was brought to Room 6 in the emergency department. He was intubated, he coded again.
"He lost his pulse and by 5:03 p.m. Corey was pronounced dead."
Defence attorney, Mario Gallucci, maintained that Corey did not die from injuries resulting from what was seen in the treadmill security footage from his dad but, instead, said the child died a sepsis infection.
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Speaking of Gregor, Gallucci said: "You're not gonna like him. And I don't care that you don't like him. You'll be horrified and mortified - evidence you will see of Corey's death had nothing to do with that treadmill."
The first witness on the stand, Corey's mother, Bre Micciolo, opened up about the custody issues she dealt with Gregor.
She also testified to the court that she noticed bruises on her son's body just a matter of before he died, allegedly from the treadmill incident.
The US Sun reports that Micciolo reported Corey's injuries to the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency and, on 1 April, 2021, she requested that Gregor take their son to see a doctor.
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The outlet reported that, whilst at the doctor's appointment, Corey revealed his father made him run on the treadmill 'because he was too fat'.
Testimony is set to resume Wednesday at 9am.
After being arrested on March 9, 2022, for his son’s death, Gregor has since turned down a 30-year plea deal. He is now currently being held in the Ocean City Jail without bond.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Rhiannon Ingle