A New Jersey father was sentenced on Friday to 25 years in prison for the 2021 treadmill death of his 6-year-old son, but claimed in court he “did nothing” to cause the young boy’s passing.
Christopher Gregor was initially charged with endangering the welfare of a child after authorities found evidence he had “committed acts of abuse” against his son Corey in Barnegat Township on March 20, 2021.
A disturbing video shows Gregor placing his son to run on a treadmill at an empty gym. As the boy struggles to keep up with the pace and falls several times, Gregor is seen forcing his son to continue by picking him up from the floor and placing him back on the machine.
About two weeks later, on April 2, officers from the Stafford Township Police Department responded to Southern Ocean Medical Center after reports of the death of a 6-year-old boy, later identified as Corey.
A postmortem examination determined the boy sustained fatal injuries due to blunt force trauma. Gregor was booked into the Ocean County Jail but later released.
About a year later, Ocean County prosecutors determined the manner of death to be a homicide. They also found that “Gregor was the individual responsible for the child’s death.”
He was arrested again on March 9, 2022, on charges of murder and related offenses.
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Earlier this year, an Ocean County jury found Gregor guilty of aggravated manslaughter.
He was also found guilty of endangering the welfare of a child. He was not found guilty of murder.
On Friday, Judge Guy P. Ryan sentenced Gregor to 20 years for aggravated manslaughter and five years for the child endangerment charge. The sentences are to be served consecutively, the judge said.
Gregor will be required to serve at least 85% of the term before he can be considered for parole.
Gregor addressed Corey's mother in court.
Addressing his son’s mother, Breanna Micciolo, for the first time since Corey’s death, Gregor fought back tears to say how much he loved his son.
“I did nothing to cause Cory’s passing,” he said. “I didn’t hurt my son. I loved him and I still do. I regret not bringing him to the hospital sooner. I didn’t know how sick he was. I just thought he was tired.”
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News (TNS)
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If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child), or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
