A New Jersey father, Christopher Gregor, 31, is on trial for the alleged murder of his son, Corey Micciolo, in 2021. Disturbing video evidence presented in court shows Gregor forcing the six-year-old boy to run on a treadmill at high speed and incline, the New York Post reported.
The footage captures Gregor and Corey entering the Atlantic Heights Clubhouse fitness centre on March 20th, 2021. The video shows Gregor forcing Corey onto the treadmill and then increasing the difficulty settings even after the boy fell multiple times.
This incident reportedly stemmed from Gregor's belief that Corey was overweight. Gregor faces life in prison if convicted.
The trial took an emotional turn as Corey's mother, Bre Micciolo, became tearful while watching the disturbing video footage presented in court.
According to the US Sun, Ms. Micciolo had reported her son's injuries to child protective services just days before his death. Additionally, she requested Gregor take Corey to a doctor on April 1st. News reports from Court TV indicate that during the doctor's visit, Corey revealed his father forced him to run on the treadmill due to concerns about his weight.
Tragically, the following day, Gregor rushed Corey to the hospital due to concerning symptoms including stumbling, slurred speech, nausea, and shortness of breath.
CT scan revealed that Corey suffered a seizure, forcing medical staff to take life-saving measures, but they 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, the New York Post reported.
Gregor was arrested in July 2021 on child neglect charges stemming from investigators reviewing the surveillance footage from the fitness centre.
"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.
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, pulmonary contusion, and laceration and contusion of his liver.
The accused was arrested on March 9, 2022, for his son's death. He is being held in the Ocean City Jail without bond.
