A dad has spoken out after he was accused of killing his six-year-old son.
In a harrowing case of alleged child abuse, Christopher Gregor, 31, has been accused of killing his son Corey Micciolo after allegedly forcing him to run at a fast pace on a treadmill because he was "too fat."
The trial, which started in New Jersey earlier this month, saw shocking footage of Gregor appearing to force little Corey to run on a treadmill while he stood by and watched.
In his opening statement, defense attorney Mario Gallucci said that the father was not in the child's life until a year ago, when he found out he was being sued for "child support" by his former partner and the mother to the child, Breanna Micciolo.
He also stated that he was studying for a master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, as per the Independent.
“He was [then] employed by Urban Teachers, which was a company that employed people to teach in urban areas, when he found out he was being sued for child support for a child he had never met, nor did he know he fathered,” Gallucci said.
Referring to the video that was yet to be played to the court, he continued with his statement.
“At some point, you’re going to see Christopher, go to that treadmill and speed it up. And you’re going to see Corey fall. And you’re going to see him pick that boy up six times and put him back on the treadmill.
“And I’m gonna tell you right now you’re not gonna like him. And I don’t care if you like him," he stated. “When you see that video, you are going to be horrified. You’re going to be mortified. But I’m telling you right now that the evidence you’re going to see... his death had absolutely nothing to do with that treadmill.”
However, the testimony of a forensic pathologist who spoke on the fifth day of the trial opposed this argument.
According to Dr. Thomas Andrew, Corey died from blunt impact injury of the chest and abdomen with a laceration of the heart, ultimately ruling his death in April 2021 as a "homicide," per the Daily Mail.
Anat Feingold, a doctor who specializes in pediatric infectious diseases was also called to the stand, where they disclosed that there was no sign of infection before Corey died.
"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 video of the treadmill incident showed the father increasing the speed of the conveyor belt as the six-year-old struggled to keep up. Even when he fell multiple times, he was picked back up and apparently made to run on the machine again.
At one point, you can even see Gregor seemingly bite the top of his son's head before moving around to the side of the gym equipment to watch him struggle.
However, Gallucci, in turn, claimed that Corey was "operating that treadmill all by himself," noting that he "kept getting back up on the treadmill."
Corey's mother, who was concerned that her former lover had been abusing their son, reported the boy’s injuries to the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency just days before his death
She also pleaded with him to take Corey to see a doctor after he was complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath.
Footage taken from surveillance cameras shows the father carrying his son to a hospital on April 1 2021, just a day before he died.
It was reported that the six-year-old suffered a seizure during a CT scan as medical staff desperately attempted to save his life.
His death was due to blunt force injuries with cardiac and liver contusions, acute inflammation and sepsis, the initial autopsy revealed.
Pictures also showed severe bruising to the little boy's head and stomach area.
Gregor was arrested on March 9, 2022, for his son’s death after he was caught speeding.
However, during the trial, it was revealed that he seemingly deflected blame and instead suggested that Corey's mother was to blame.
"If he didn't have a drug-addicted mother, then he'd still be alive, he said. "When he got home, I knew something was wrong in my gut."
He then referred to Micciolo as a "special kind of dirtbag", adding that she and her family had planted marijuana on him before.
This is a developing story.
