New Jersey dad Christopher Gregor says his six-year-old son died from pneumonia, not brutal gym sessions where he forced him to run or the beatings doctors suspect happened afterwards

A New Jersey father accused of abusing his six-year-old son to death claims the child died from pneumonia, not brutal workouts and alleged beatings. 

Christopher Gregor, 31, is facing murder charges over the 2021 death of his son Corey Micciolo, with a forensic pathologist previously ruling the boy's death was a homicide caused by blunt force injuries. 

Prosecutors allege that Gregor battered and bruised his son causing fatal injuries, and his ongoing trial saw sickening footage of Gregor forcing his son to run on a treadmill as he continually falls off. 

Claims that the sadistic workout contributed to Corey's death were refuted by Gregor's attorney, who insisted the tragedy had 'absolutely nothing to do with that treadmill.'

Christopher Gregor, 31, is facing murder charges over the 2021 death of his six-year-old son. Prosecutors claim he abused the boy to death, but he has countered that his son died from pneumonia 

Corey Micciolo, died in 2021 after years of alleged abuse, with a forensic pathologist ruling he died due to blunt force trauma 

In sickening CCTV video shown in Gregor's ongoing trial, Corey was seen continuously falling off the treadmill, while Gregor keeps lifting him up and putting him back on the machine 

Corey tragically passed away on April 2, 2021, after he woke up from a nap stumbling around and slurring his words. He was pronounced dead hours later in hospital. 

Three weeks prior on March 20, 2021, surveillance footage showed Gregor take his son to the Atlantic Heights Clubhouse fitness center, with Corey later saying it was because his father thought he was 'too fat.' 

He was seen forcing Corey on the treadmill and increasing the incline and speed, causing the young boy to fall off several times. 

Gregor continued picking his son up and forcing him to keep running, despite Corey falling off the machine several times. 

In opening statements, Gregor's attorney Mario Gallucci admitted the jury were 'going to be horrified' when they saw the footage, but argued it did not contribute to Corey's death. 

'You're going to be mortified,' he warned. '(But) Corey’s death had absolutely nothing to do with that treadmill.' 

In emotional testimony from Corey's mother Breanna Micciolo, who was locked in a bitter custody dispute with Gregor at the time of her son's death, said she noticed bruises on her son after the workout session. 

'He had a bruise on his forehead, it was very odd-shaped, it looked like an impression,' said the mother through tears. 

She added that he also had other cuts on his body, including one on his chest that 'looked like a scrape.' 

Corey told a doctor that his father put him through the grueling workout because he thought he was 'too fat' 

Corey's mother Breanna Micciolo was the first to take the stand as a witness in court on Tuesday. She sobbed and wiped her eyes as she watched the disturbing video of her son in the gym 

Micciolo was the first to testify against Gregor, and broke down on the stand as she watched the harrowing video of her son in the gym. 

In her testimony, she reportedly admitted that she and some friends vandalized Gregor's parent's home following Corey's death, including throwing eggs and dead fish at the property. 

A pediatrician examined the injuries, and although they said the mother should not be concerned, she testified that Corey told the doctor that he was forced to run on the treadmill 'because he was too fat.' 

Micciolo also reported the injuries to a caseworker with the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency, with Corey's death coming just one day after courts rejected an emergency filing seeking custody of her son. 

She previously warned authorities as far back as July 2020 that her son would return from his father's home with black eyes, bruises, scrapes and even 'bite marks.'  

Gregor was arrested three months later on charges of child neglect, with his arrest warrant noting the gym surveillance video as a reason for the arrest. 

'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,' the warrant read. 

Days after the gym visit, the boy's mother Breanna Micciolo, who shared custody of Corey with Gregor, saw her son's injuries and reported them to a caseworker with the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency 

Gregor, 31, was initially charged with child abuse, before the charges were escalated to murder almost a year after his son's death 

A forensic pathologist ruled that Corey's cause of death was homicide due to chronic child abuse, including blunt force injuries to his abdomen and chest, and a laceration to his heart. 

It was also found that the boy suffered cardiac and liver contusions with inflammation and sepsis.  

Although Gregor is reportedly claiming his son died due to pneumonia, it is unclear if any medical staff found this to be the case in hospital, where Corey also suffered a seizure during a CT scan.  

On March 9, 2022, almost a year after his son's death, Gregor's charges were increased to murder.