Dad Accused of Forcing Son on Treadmill Found Guilty in Death of 6-Year-Old

According to USA Today, following a month-long trial and nearly two days of juror deliberations, Gregor was found guilty Friday of child endangerment and aggravated manslaughter for the death of his son, Corey Micciolo. Gregor was found not guilty of first-degree murder, however.

"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 the outlet. "He deserves to be in jail. He's a very bad man."

During the trial, jurors saw surveillance footage from the Atlantic Heights Clubhouse in Barnegat, N.J., that dated back to March 20, 2021, where Gregor -- who did not testify in the trial -- was seen forcing the boy to use a treadmill. Corey fell off the machine six times in surveillance footage, but was pulled back up on the treadmill and made to continue running. At one point in the video, Gregor even appeared to bite his son.

The boy died at the hospital on April 2, the same day he was brought there by his father. Gregor allegedly left his son alone in his dying moments, before leaving the hospital altogether and not answering calls from his ex -- the boy's mother -- or police.

Last month, during a hearing outside the presence of the jury about the admissibility of the footage in question, the video was shown to the court. While prosecutors have accused Gregor, who was stopped by police in Tennessee two days after the child's death, of fleeing New Jersey following the incident, the defense were hopeful use of the surveillance footage would show their client was cooperating with authorities.

The video was deemed inadmissible by the judge, who said it was filled with hearsay, according to Asbury Park Press.

The footage saw Gregor getting pulled over by police in Tennessee on April 4, two days after his son's death. In the clip, one of the officers can be heard telling another cop that Gregor was "shaking like a leaf" after being stopped -- while also wondering what he was doing in the state from New Jersey.

Gregor, wearing a sweatshirt he said he "ripped" the sleeves from, told officers he wasn't "hiding" anything from them, but was also "a little freaked out" by the situation.

He appeared to explain his son died from "some kind of internal bleeding" in the stomach area, adding that he "knew something was wrong in my gut" after the boy was dropped off at his place by his mother. He goes on to call the mother of his child a "special kind of dirtbag," as well as a "drug addict" he accused of planting marijuana inside his vehicle at one point. The child's mom, Breanna, was open about her issues with addiction earlier in the trial.

While speaking with authorities, Gregor also couldn't seem to recall whether he drove all the way to Arkansas or Texas before turning around and heading back to New Jersey. He says he "couldn't sleep," before one officer asks if he was trying to cross the border into Mexico. He, however, did say he wasn't -- noting he was driving in the opposite direction when pulled over.

He also said that after heading back to Jersey, he stopped for food and a drink in Nashville, where he was also going to meet a female friend he picked up at a Tennessee airport. Police then explain they're taking the vehicle for processing, as well as his cell phone, with Gregor telling them, "No problem with that."

His parents reportedly got him a rental, before he returned to New Jersey. Gregor was first charged with endangering the welfare of a child in July 2021 over the treadmill incident, before later being charged with murder in March 2022. While his legal team suggested Corey died of sepsis from pneumonia, a consulting doctor determined from a host of bruises and marks on the child, that the "pattern, distribution, and character of the injuries was consistent with ongoing abuse, and found that the manner of death was homicide."

"At long last, justice for Corey has been accomplished," Ocean County prosecutor Bradley Billhimer told the 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, meanwhile, said his client is "not surprised" by the jury's decision, and plans to appeal.

His sentencing is scheduled for August 2. He could get up to 40 years in prison.