‘Treadmill Dad’ Found Guilty of Manslaughter in Death of 6-Year-Old Son

Christopher Gregor is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 2 in the death of his son Corey Micciolo; however, he plans to appeal the conviction

A New Jersey father who forced his 6-year-old son to run on a treadmill as he increased the speed has been convicted for his death, according to Newsweek, NY Post and USA Today.

On Friday, May 31, following a month-long trial and nearly two days of juror deliberations, Christopher Gregor, 31, was found guilty of child endangerment and aggravated manslaughter for his son Corey Micciolo's death. Gregor was found not guilty of first-degree murder.

"We're happy with the verdict and we thank the prosecutor's office,'' Micciolo's mother, Breanna Micciolo, told reporters outside of Ocean County Superior Court, per USA Today. "He deserves to be in jail. He's a very bad man."

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During the trial, in which Gregor did not testify, jurors saw surveillance footage from the Atlantic Heights Clubhouse in Barnegat, N.J., that dated back to March 20, 2021. The footage allegedly showed Corey running on a treadmill as Gregor walked over to the exercise machine. The father began increasing the speed, causing Corey to stumble and fall. Whenever Corey fell off, Gregor would put him back on the treadmill and power it up further. At one point, he appeared to bite his son on the head in the video.

Days later, 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 NY Post. A day later, he was taken to the hospital after he began stumbling, having slurred speech, nausea, and trouble breathing after a nap. He suffered a seizure during a CT scan and died.

In July 2021, the Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office determined Corey had "sustained injuries due to blunt force trauma."

Gregor was arrested and charged in March 2022.

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Though his legal team challenged that the child died of an infection during the trial, his mother took the stand and said she filed for sole custody of Corey after she saw bruises on him, Newsweek reports.

Meanwhile, prosecutors argued that although the treadmill incident might not have caused the child's death, it proved a cycle of abuse that led to the tragedy, according to USA Today.

"At long last, justice for Corey has been accomplished," Ocean County prosecutor Bradley Billhimer told USA Today Network's Asbury Park Press.

"Christopher Gregor must live the rest of his life with the knowledge that he, and he alone, was responsible for the death of his one and only son,'' Billhimer added. "While nothing can bring this precious child back to his family, we hope that today's jury verdict offers some semblance of peace and closure for those who knew and loved Corey.''

Gregor's attorney said his client is "not surprised" by the jury's decision, and plans to appeal.

Gregor's sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 2. He could get up to 40 years in prison.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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