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Deadbeat 'treadmill abuse dad' Christopher Gregory says son died of 'infection,' not beatings or brutal gym sessions - despite evidence that six-year-old boy suffered 'blunt force trauma'
The New Jersey father who forced his son to run on a treadmill at breakneck speed still maintains that he played no role in the little boy's death.
Christopher Gregor, 32, is charged with first-degree murder and endangering the welfare of six-year-old Corey Micciolo.
The endangerment charge stems from footage of Gregor ordering Corey to run on a treadmill, even picking the little boy up and placing him back on the machine after he fell several times.
The little boy died weeks later, and Gregor's legal team insists he died of infection despite medical experts' findings that he suffered blunt force trauma.
'Is it tragic? Hell, yes. Sad,' defense attorney Mario Gallucci said in court on Wednesday. 'There's no winner here. Corey died. That's it. Nobody had anything to do with it.'
Lawyers for Christopher Gregor, 32, assert that the New Jersey man had no role in the death of his six-year-old son, claiming instead he died of 'infection'
Corey Micciolo died on April 2, 2021, after complaining of nausea and shortness of breath. He suffered several seizures upon arriving at the hospital and died an hour later
Pictured: the prosecution watches footage of Gregor carrying Corey into the hospital on the day of his death
Gallucci claimed the little boy 'died from natural causes,' specifically a 'rapidly spreading infection,' and previously asserted that he came down with pneumonia.
But his allegations draw a stark contrast to the testimony of a forensic pathologist who spoke on the fifth day of the trial.
According to Dr. Thomas Andrew, Corey died from blunt impact injury of the chest and abdomen with laceration of the heart. Andrew testified that the manner of death was homicide.
Another doctor, Anat Feingold, was called as a witness on May 22 after being hired by the prosecution to review medical records.
Feingold, who specializes in pediatric infectious diseases, said there was no evidence that Corey had suffered from an infection before his death.
'My conclusion was there was no evidence that Corey had an infectious disease at any point, and certainly that that was not the cause of his death,' Feingold said.
The trial has spanned 10 days so far, with closing arguments beginning Wednesday after Gregor declined to testify in his own defense.
Gregor's attorney asserted that prosecutors failed to present any witnesses or experts who could prove the boy died in the way medical officials maintain.
Gregor's defense attorney, Mario Gallucci, claimed the little boy 'died from natural causes,' specifically 'a rapidly-spreading infection'
The case drew national interest after video surfaced of Gregor forcing the six-year-old to run on a treadmill, even picking him up and placing him back on the machine after he fell
Ocean County Assistant Prosecutor Christine Lento asserted that Gregor 'lacerated Corey's heart, lacerated his liver, and Corey's lungs were bruised,' in line with a doctor's findings of evidence of blunt force trauma
Mentions of the treadmill video cropped up frequently throughout the proceedings.
'What kind of father would do this to their son?' asked Christine Lento, an assistant Ocean County prosecutor. She noted that Gregor could be seen increasing the incline on the machine.
Gallucci, in turn, claimed that Corey was 'operating that treadmill all by himself,' noting that he 'kept getting back up on the treadmill.'
However, Lento countered that Corey was 'more afraid of his father than getting back on that machine.'
The prosecutor asserted that Corey did not die of infection.
'It's not pneumonia,' Lento said. 'The defendant lacerated Corey's heart, lacerated his liver, and Corey's lungs were bruised. This is why Corey died.'
Gregor and Breanna Micciolo shared custody of the six-year-old before his death. Lento claimed Gregor inflicted blunt force trauma on the little boy because his mother returned him to Gregor's house 14 hours late.
One day earlier, Micciolo had taken Corey to his pediatrician and two different medical centers, believing Gregor was abusing him.
None of the physicians found any infection or signs of pneumonia, Lento said.
'The evidence shows there was nothing wrong with Corey when he was returned to the defendant at 9 am on April 2, eight hours before Corey died,' she asserted.
Lento mentioned that Gregor fled the hospital and was not present when his son died. He was later flagged by Tennessee police for speeding, and insisted that he had not been planning on leaving the country on bodycam
Gregor, who declined to testify in his own defense Wednesday, referred to Corey's mother, Breanna Micciolo, as 'a special kind of dirt bag' and 'a drug-addicted mother'
On the morning of April 2, 2021, Micciolo dropped Corey off at Gregor's home. It would be the last time she saw her son alive.
The woman told police she last heard from Gregor that afternoon, when told her that he was taking Corey to the hospital but didn't mention which one.
The little boy had complained of nausea and shortness of breath, according to a probable cause affidavit. He suffered seizures soon after arriving at Southern Ocean Medical Center and died an hour later.
Surveillance footage captured nurses and a doctor appearing to comfort Gregor as he collapsed in a chair outside his son's hospital room.
But he left 27 minutes before Corey died, as Lento pointed out in court. 'He casually gets in his car and drives away without hesitation,' she said.
Police caught up the 32-year-old in Alcoa, Tennessee, two days after Corey's death. Gregor had been speeding, and one officer noted in bodycam footage that he was 'shaking like a leaf.'
Gregor denied trying to cross the border, instead telling officers that he had turned around in Arkansas and was heading home.
He said he had driven for 20 hours straight and made it to somewhere near the Arkansas-Texas state line before turning and traveling another five hours to Nashville.
Gregor also made comments about Corey, saying, 'If he didn't have a drug-addicted mother, then he'd still be alive.'
Gregor then indicated that Micciolo was somehow linked to Corey's death.
'When he got home, I knew something was wrong in my gut,' Gregor said.
He referred to Micciolo as 'a special kind of dirtbag' and accused the woman and her family of planting marijuana on him once before, leading to a prior arrest in New Jersey.
Micciolo, pictured testifying in court on April 30, took the little boy to a pediatrician and two different medical centers shortly before his death on the belief that Gregor was abusing him
She claimed to have reported Gregor to the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency more than 100 times in a span of 18 months, but nothing was done. She has since sued the agency for failing to act
Micciolo's bid for emergency custody of her son was denied the day before Corey's death on the advice of DCCP, despite at least one caseworker viewing the treadmill video and photographing injuries on Corey's body
Corey's manner of death was undetermined upon completion of his autopsy. It wasn’t until Andrew reviewed the case in September 2021 that it was determined as homicide.
During his testimony, Andrew said he believed Corey suffered an acute traumatic injury to the heart four to 12 hours before his death.
He found evidence of chronic abuse including blunt impact injuries of the chest and abdomen with laceration of the heart, left pulmonary contusion, and laceration and contusion of the liver.
Gregor was arrested for endangering the welfare of a child on July 7, but was subsequently released due to New Jersey bail reform, authorities say. He was arrested again, this time for murder, on March 9, 2022.
At the time of Corey's death, the boy’s mother and Gregor shared joint custody. Micciolo said she reported Gregor to the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency over 100 times in a span of 18 months, but no action was taken.
She has since sued the agency for failing to act in time to save her son's life.
When Micciolo brought Corey to his pediatrician the day before his death, she did so at the suggestion of a DCPP caseworker. Corey told the doctor about the treadmill incident, and his account was later relayed to police.
According to the affidavit, Gregor 'made him run on the treadmill really fast' because he was 'mad.' The document notes that Corey mentioned falling and hitting his head.
At least one DCPP caseworker viewed the video. The same caseworker saw and photographed Corey's injuries before Micciolo requested an emergency hearing the day before her son died.
However, a judge denied Micciolo's request for emergency custody on the advice of the agency.
DCPP eventually substantiated two of the allegations of abuse. That development came last December, 20 months after Corey's death.
Gregor, who turned down a 30-year plea deal, is currently being held without bond in the Ocean County Jail. He faces life behind bars if convicted.