American authorities have begun the trial of a father accused of causing the death of his 6-year-old son after forcing him to run on a treadmill because he was “too fat.”
Christopher Gregor, aged 31, faces trial for the alleged murder of his son, Corey Micolo, in New Jersey, 2021.
The video clip, which was shown during the trial in the Superior Court in the town of Ocean City in Worcester County, Maryland, on the east coast of the United States, showed Gregor forcing his son, Micolo, to run on a treadmill after he fell several times due to the excessive speed of the exercise machine.
On March 20, 2021, Gregor and his son were seen entering the Atlantic Heights Clubhouse fitness center, where the boy immediately stood on the treadmill and began running.
The child fell and his father picked him up and placed him back on the treadmill, forcing the child’s legs to bend backwards, while the father appeared to have his teeth lodged in Corey’s head.
The boy then returns, but falls again and continues to struggle to stay on the machine, eventually prompting the father to reduce the speed and incline.
Days before Corey’s death, his mother, Breanna Micciolo, reported her son’s injuries to the New Jersey Department of Child Protection and Permanency and requested a doctor’s appointment. At the appointment, Corey purportedly mentioned that his father forced him to use a treadmill, citing his weight as the reason.
The next day, Corey was taken to the hospital after he showed symptoms such as stumbling, slurred speech, nausea, and shortness of breath.
Despite efforts to save him, the little boy suffered an epileptic seizure during a CT scan, and the medical staff was unable to revive him.
A preliminary autopsy revealed that Corey’s cause of death was severe injuries with bruising of the heart and liver, severe inflammation, and blood poisoning.
In September 2021, coroner Dr. Thomas Andrew determined that Corey’s death was a homicide, because he had suffered chronic abuse including severe injuries to his chest and abdomen, a lacerated heart, a left lung contusion, and a laceration and contusion to his liver.
According to American law, if he is convicted of premeditated murder, Father Gregor faces a life sentence in prison.
Justice for Corey
After her son’s death, Breanna Micciolo created a special Facebook page called “Justice for Corey” to raise awareness of his case.
“I created this group to fight for justice for my son Corey Micolo,” she wrote at the time. “He was only 6 years old when his life was taken by someone who was supposed to care and love him, his father. We have an army here and we will not stop fighting until justice is done.” .
She wrote another post on June 24, 2021, in which she said, “My son, Corey, died on April 2, 2021. He was only 6 years old. For two years, I begged child protective services to help me keep him away from his attacker. No one listened or helped me.”
She added, “The day before his death, I asked the judge through an emergency order to allow me to have full custody pending the outcome of the investigation. That judge denied that and the next day my son was gone. The local public prosecutor’s office is still investigating the cause of his death. I am fighting to get “I want justice for Corey, and I want to get the word out about my son’s death to prevent this from happening to other children.”
