NJ Father Faces Murder Charges in Son’s Treadmill Death: Did Harsh Workout Cause a Child’s Death?
Christopher Gregor, the New Jersey father accused of forcing his son to run on a treadmill before he died, claimed that his ex “coached” their son to lie about the alleged abuse he received from his father.
As we previously reported, the 31-year-old New Jersey father was arrested and charged with the murder of his 6-year-old son, Corey Micciolo. The father was put on trial after a frightening event was captured on security footage, which allegedly showed Gregor exposing his son to a strenuous treadmill workout at the Atlantic Heights Clubhouse Fitness Center on March 20, 2021.
Prosecutors in the case maintained that the brutal workout session directly caused the child’s death, which occurred two weeks later due to internal injuries. However, the defense argued that the boy’s death was caused by pneumonia rather than physical mistreatment. Mario Gallucci, the New Jersey father’s attorney, admitted that the video workout was “disturbing” to see, but argued that it did not cause the child’s death.
Meanwhile, the father’s ex-wife and child’s mother, Breanna Micciolo, testified in court, claiming that, in addition to the camera evidence, she saw strange bruises and scrapes on her son after the workout. She also noted an unusually shaped bruise on the child’s forehead and a scratch on his chest.
No immediate concerns were raised following a visit to the pediatrician, despite the boy saying that his father subjected him to a hard treadmill workout because “he was too fat.” Following the visit, the child’s condition apparently deteriorated significantly. On April 2, 2021, the youngster displayed symptoms such as slurred speech and nausea, requiring an emergency hospital visit, where he was ultimately pronounced dead.
The medical examiner judged the youngster’s death a homicide caused by prolonged child maltreatment. The examiner also found extensive traumatic injuries to his chest and abdomen, as well as a laceration in his heart. In March 2022, the boy’s father was arrested and charged with child endangerment and first-degree murder.
As Christopher Gregor’s trial for forcing his son to run on a treadmill before his death proceeds, it has been revealed that he claims his ex, the boy’s mother Breanna Micciolo, “coached” their son to lie about the alleged abuse he received while in his father’s care.
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On Thursday (May 2), the recording was presented in court, exposing a phone call made by the father to child services hours before his son died. In the video, Gregor says, “My son came back this morning and he was telling me that his mom told him that he needed to tell the doctor that I had beaten him and stuff like that, coaching him. The key issue for me is that she made an abuse complaint, which she has done over a dozen times, and she has always denied it. He repeated that to the worker twice.
He said, “I just want it documented that when he got home, one of the first two things he said was, ‘I don’t want to go with my Mom anymore; she’s going to try to take me away from you.'” He further stated, ‘Mom told me to lie, and I had to lie.’ That was a significant issue for me.”