Christopher Gregor Has Been Accused of Killing His 6 Year-Old Son — What Happened?
Video of six year-old Corey Micciolo being forced by his father to run on a treadmill suggests a pattern of abuse.
Published May 2 2024, 1:53 p.m. ET
In his opening statement for Christopher Gregor's trial, assistant Ocean County prosecutor Jamie Schron told the court that the morning Corey Micciolo's mother dropped him off at his dad's house, the six year-old was fine. According to the Asbury Park Press, Micciolo's mother Breanna Micciolo had noticed some bruising on her son the day before. This prompted a trip to the hospital where doctors told her apart from said bruises, Micciolo was in good health.
Things would change the following day when Micciolo died. He passed away April 2, 2021. Initially his cause of death was ruled as undetermined due to "blunt force injuries with cardiac and liver contusions with acute inflammation and sepsis," per COURT TV. Five months later, a medical examiner ruled Micciolo's death a homicide. What happened to Corey Micciolo after his mother left him with Gregor? It's a complicated story.
What happened to Corey Micciolo?
Gregor and Breanna shared joint custody of Micciolo and during this time, she reported more than 100 instances of abuse by Gregor. The most damning occurrence was caught on video in March 2021. In the recording, Micciolo and his father are at the Atlantic Heights Clubhouse fitness center where Gregor is seen putting his son on a treadmill.
Gregor increases both the speed and incline of the treadmill, as Micciolo desperately tries to keep up. The first time Micciolo falls and slides off the machine, Gregor picks him back up and appears to bite the child's head while forcing him back onto the belt. Gregor holds his son down as he attempts to gain footing. After Micciolo falls again, Gregor finally decreases the speed and lowers the treadmill's incline.
The New York Post reported that on April 1, 2021, Breanna had Gregor take Micciolo to the doctor. It was at this appointment Micciolo allegedly revealed that his father forced him to exercise because he was "too fat." Micciolo died the next day after being taken to the hospital because he "woke up from a nap stumbling, slurring his words, and experiencing nausea and shortness of breath," via COURT TV. He suffered seizures in the middle of CT scan and despite life-saving measures taken by the medical staff, he did not make it.
Breanna Micciolo is a recovering drug addict whose disease should not be on trial.
Mario F. Gallucci, Gregor's attorney, told News 12 that his client had "nothing to do with the death of this child. Although tragic it must be remembered that the mother was not given custody of her own child for a reason." The reason Galluci is alluding to, is Breanna's ongoing struggle with an addiction to meth. While on the stand during Gregor's trial, she was asked about it by his attorney.
She first lost custody of her son in January 2020 and was able to get sober so that by October 2020, Breanna earned visitation rights. Gregor's lawyer then asked Breanna how she ingests meth to which she explained that she snorts it. He specifically mentioned the word "bump" which would be explained later.
It's common for people trying to get sober to relapse multiple times, and Breanna is no exception. In December 2020, she relapsed again and did not share this with Gregor, but did get sober in February 2021. Breanna testified that she has not relapsed since then. The reason why Gallucci was focused on what a bump is, is because Breanna reached out to her boyfriend via Facebook the day Micciolo died and asked for a bump. A bump is often used to describe snorting a drug.
Gregor's lawyer was suggesting that Breanna was high when Micciolo died which could be laying the groundwork for her potential negligence. Although Breanna confirmed she asked for a bump, she went on to say that she did not do drugs that day.