TOMS RIVER – A jury has found Christopher Gregor guilty on a count of aggravated manslaughter related to the death of his six-year-old son, Corey Micciolo, but his attorney has said he will appeal this.
Corey’s passing on April 2, 2021 resulted in a criminal investigation. Initially, Gregor, 32, was accused endangering the welfare of a child and of the murder of his son. He pleaded “Not Guilty” to both and rejected a 30-year plea deal.
The charge of aggravated manslaughter was added later, which is what the jury eventually convicted him of.
It was debated whether Gregor would testify at his own trial but it turned out that it was not to be.
The defense did bring in Dr. Michael Baden, a high profile doctor to challenge whether the injuries on Corey’s body were attributed to his father. Baden had chaired the House Select Committee on Assassinations’ Forensic Pathology Panel that investigated the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Since then, he’s worked on high profile cases such as O.J. Simpson, Jeffrey Epstein, and George Floyd.
The charge of Endangering the Welfare of a Child stemmed from an incident on March 20, 2021. Video surveillance within the gym where Gregor lived documented Corey stepping onto a treadmill by himself and running for several minutes. His father moved to another part of the gym and is seen working out and talking on his cellphone. Eventually, Gregor returns and speeds up the treadmill, pushing Corey to keep up. Corey falls at least six times, with Christopher repeatedly placing him back on the moving treadmill. At one point, it appears Gregor leans over and bites Corey’s head.
This led the jury to finding him guilty of Endangering.
It is still unclear what actions Gregor took that caused the boy’s death, but county officials said it was “blunt force trauma.”
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said that the jury concluded “beyond a reasonable doubt that Gregor recklessly caused the death of (his son) on or about April 2, 2021, under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life.”
Gregor faces sentencing on August 2, 2024, at which time he faces up to 30 years in prison for the Aggravated Manslaughter charge. It would be subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act, which means he would have to serve 85% of the sentence before being eligible for parole. He faces up to ten years in prison for the Endangering offense.
“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. It is right and just that he bears that cross. 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. At long last, justice for Corey has been accomplished,” Prosecutor Billhimer said.
Billhimer applauded the efforts of Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Christine Lento and Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Jamie Schron, who ably and skillfully tried the case on behalf of the State. The Prosecutor likewise extends his gratitude to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victim’s Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Economic Crimes Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Barnegat Police, Stafford Police, Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Englishtown Police, Manalapan Police, Monroe Police, Sea Bright Police, New Jersey State Police, and Alcoa (Tennessee) Police Department, for their collective and cooperative assistance.
Gregor’s attorney, Mario Gallucci, said outside the court that he would be appealing the decision.
More coverage of this case, and interviews with Corey’s family, will be published at a later date.
