Christopher Gregor: Dad who taunted son, 6, on treadmill calling him FAT charged with his murder
Christopher J Gregor, 29, a resident of Monroe, was earlier charged with endangering the welfare of a child after the death of his six-year-old son Corey Micciolo on April 2. Gregor, who used to live in Barnegat Township, has now been charged with first-degree murder.
Prosecutors previously stated that the child suffered from many injuries while he was in Gregor's care, some of which were captured on film and those injuries led to the minor's death two weeks later. Gregor was taken into custody on early Wednesday morning, March 9, and lodged in the Ocean County jail for judicial proceedings. Court documents obtained by NJ Advance Media on Wednesday afternoon detailed the new charge.
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An autopsy performed immediately after the boy's death in 2021 revealed that he suffered blunt force injuries, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. On March 3, the prosecutor’s office stated they obtained a report from an expert state witness that indicated the youngster died as a consequence of blunt force impact to his chest and abdomen, and his death was a homicide, the office said.
At the time of his life-ending injuries, Gregor had custody of his son Corey, who the prosecutor's office recognized by his initials, and he was responsible for the child's death, according to the prosecutor's office. Authorities previously stated that an investigator looking into the child's death learned about an altercation involving Corey and his father on March 20, 2021, at the Atlantic Heights apartments in Barnegat Township.
According to authorities, video from the complex's fitness center's surveillance system showed Corey running on a treadmill and Gregor speeding up the machine. The child was unable to keep up with the increasing speed and fell. Gregor scooped him up and put him back on the treadmill, but the child fell down again. Prosecutors claim that this happened a couple more times and that Gregor bit the child on the head while putting him back on the treadmill.
Breanna Micciolo, Corey's mother, who is separated from Gregor and shared the joint custody of the boy, told a caseworker with the state's Division of Child Protection and Permanency about her concerns regarding the child's injuries. She was instructed by the caseworker to take Corey to his pediatrician for an abuse examination.
Corey's mother took him to the doctors the day before he died. That is when the doctor discovered many bruises on his chest, arm, and hip, as well as a forehead abrasion. Last year, Corey had told the doctor that "his dad had put the bruises on him" and that the injuries were caused by playing football and running on the treadmill.
According to Micciolo, her son was sent to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for blood testing and X-rays, and his parents were ordered to take him to a child abuse expert the next day, April 2. Gregor had custody of Corey on that particular day, according to the mother, and he contacted her about 3:30 pm to inform her that Corey was lethargic, vomiting, and not eating and that he was taking him to the hospital. He brought the child to Southern Ocean County Medical Center, where he died later that night.
Police said the mother didn't know where Gregor was at the time of the child's death. On July 9, he surrendered to authorities after months of denials that he had molested his son.
Investigators were still trying to figure out if the alleged mistreatment was related to Corey's death as of July. Gregor was freed from custody after being charged with endangering the child despite the prosecution and Corey's mother's protestations.
The court filings, which were unsealed on Wednesday, didn't reveal much new information concerning the charges. According to facts in his criminal complaint, Gregor tried to hide evidence by throwing the victim's clothing in the trash, and he fled the state before his arrest in July.
Gregor's lawyer Mario Gallucci expressed disappointment with how the additional charge was handled, stating the prosecutor's office had not alerted him about his client's detention as of early Wednesday afternoon.
Gallucci stated in a written statement, "I find the conduct by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office to be outrageous and shocking. I’ve been in practice for over 32 years, on both sides and have never seen such conduct which borders on being unethical. As I write this response, I have still not been contacted by Ocean County and only learned of the arrest after this dog and pony show."
Gallucci stated that once the discovery is received, he will study it and has already hired experts to examine the evidence.