The New Jersey father who was convicted of killing his 6-year-old son by forcing him to run and fall off of a treadmill has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
On Friday, Aug. 2, Ocean County judge Guy P. Ryan sentenced Christopher Gregor to 20 years for aggravated manslaughter and five years for endangering the welfare of a child, more than three years after his son, Corey Micciolo, died, according to a statement from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, as well as reports from the Asbury Park Press and Law & Crime.
Gregor was originally only charged with child endangerment in the immediate aftermath of Corey’s death on Apr. 2, 2021, but the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced in March 2022 that he was being charged with murder. The charge was later changed to aggravated manslaughter.
Tanya Breen/Asbury Park Press / USA TODAY NETWORK
Judge Ryan order the two prison terms to run consecutively because the aggravated manslaughter was separate from the earlier act of child endangerment, the Press reported.
During the sentencing on Friday, Breanna Micciolo, Corey’s mother, called Gregor a “monster” during a victim impact statement, per Court TV.
“Corey was and still is my life, my world and my everything,” Breanna said, crying. “What this monster did was pathetic, disgusting, and I wish him nothing but the worst.”
According to the Press, Gregor, meanwhile, maintained his innocence, telling the courthouse prior to his sentence being read: “I want to assure you, on Apr. 2, I did nothing to cause Corey’s passing. … I did not hurt my son.”
During the six-week trial, jurors were shown footage taken at the Atlantic Heights Clubhouse as early as Mar. 20, 2021, that showed Corey running on a treadmill as Gregor stood nearby.
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Gregor began increasing the speed, causing the 6-year-old to stumble and fall. Whenever Corey would fall off, Gregor would put him back on the treadmill and increase the speed. At one point, he seemingly bit Corey on the head.
Days after the security camera footage was captured, Corey was taken to see a doctor and said his father made him run on the treadmill because he was “too fat,” according to The New York Post. Just one day later, Corey was taken to the hospital after he began stumbling, having slurred speech, nausea and trouble breathing after a nap. He had a seizure during a CT scan and died, the outlet reported.
At the time, the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office said in its press release that it had determined Corey had “sustained injuries due to blunt force trauma.” Gregor was then charged with endangering the welfare of a child on July 7, 2021.
In March 2022, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced the second charge of manslaughter after a report from the state’s expert witness indicated Corey died as a result of “blunt force impact of the chest and abdomen, and determined the manner of the child’s death to be homicide.”
Prosecutors argued during the trial that Gregor inflicted injuries on his son to punish him because Breanna had been late bringing him home, the Press reported.
Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office
Gregor’s legal team challenged the prosecution’s arguments and brought in a forensic pathologist to testify, who claimed that CPR performed on Corey in the emergency room may have caused the blunt force trauma, per the Press.
On May 31, Gregor was found guilty of aggravated manslaughter.
The prosecutor’s office said in its statement this week that Gregor’s 25-year sentence was subject to the No Early Release Act, “meaning that Gregor will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence before he may be considered for parole eligibility.”
“Christopher Gregor will spend the rest of his days here on earth knowing that he caused the death of his son Corey,” Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said after the sentencing, per Law & Crime.
“While nothing can bring this precious child back to his family, I hope that today’s sentence brings some sense of closure for those who knew and loved Corey,” Billhimer continued. “At long last, justice for Corey has been accomplished.”
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