NJ dad in treadmill abuse case sentenced to 25 years in prison for son Corey Micciolo's death

On March 20, 2021, The 31-year-old forced Corey Micciolo to run on a treadmill as punishment, which led to the young boy's death nearly a week later

New Jersey father who forced his six-year-old son into a gruesome treadmill workout has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Christopher Gregor was convicted of aggravated manslaughter and endangering a child on Friday, August 2. The 31-year-old, who was dressed in a green-and-white striped prison jumpsuit, shockingly claimed during his sentencing that he “didn't hurt” his son.

Shocking video shows NJ dad Christopher Gregor carrying son Corey Micciolo's limp, battered body into hospital (Court TV)

Dad in treadmill abuse case gets 25 years in prison for son's death

On March 20, 2021, The 31-year-old forced Corey Micciolo to run on a treadmill as punishment. The incident led to the young boy's death nearly a week later, on April 2. A CCTV recording shows the horrifying moment Gregor forced his son to keep running on a speeding treadmill, per NY Post. In the video clip, little Corey can be seen struggling to keep up as he falls on his back six times. At one point, Gregor appeared to be biting his head.

However, at the time of his sentencing, Gregor denied killing little Corey. “I want to assure you that on April 2, I did nothing to cause Corey’s passing,” he said, adding, “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 didn’t know. I just thought he was tired.”

Corey's mother, Breanna Micciolo, filed for emergency custody on March 31 after she found out about the gruesome workout and saw his son's bruises. During her testimony, she told the jury that she was “in fear for Corey's life.” However, a doctor who treated her son on April 1 said that he didn't find any signs of infection or respiratory distress, per Huff Post.

Shortly after Corey was released back to his mother's care, Gregor accused Breanna of kidnapping him as she missed the 7 pm drop-off time, text messages showed in court revealed. She told the jury that her ex told her the next day that their son was, in fact, sick and had been admitted to a hospital.

In the surveillance footage from the hospital lobby, Gregor can be seen showing no remorse over his son's condition as he carries him over his shoulder. A nurse later testified in court that Corey had suffered seizures while in emergency care and was pronounced dead the next day.

At the time of his sentencing, Breanna rejected his apology, saying, “You have stolen my full potential at happiness. I will never have my son back, my family will never feel whole again, my daughter will never get to meet her brother, and my boyfriend will never get to be the father that the defendant should have been to our son,” per the outlet.