Photo: Ocean County Prosecutor's Office
A New Jersey father has been charged with murder after being accused of abusing his six-year-old son. Christopher Gregor, 29, was initially charged last year with endangering the welfare of a child after his son, Corey Micciolo, died.
Earlier this month, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office added an additional charge of murder against Gregor after an expert witness "determined the manner of the child's death to be homicide."
Officials said that Micciolo's injuries indicated he had been abused for an extended period of time. In addition, prosecutors noted that Gregor forced the young boy to workout to lose weight. According to CNN, the boy's mother told police that Gregor "made him run on the treadmill because he is fat."
Investigators reviewed surveillance camera footage from a gym in the apartment complex where Gregor lived that showed him forcing his son to use a treadmill. Gregor continued to boost the speed, even as his son struggled to keep up. In several instances, Micciolo fell off the machine, but his father picked him up and put him back on the moving treadmill.
In one case, prosecutors said that the video showed Gregor biting his son on the head after falling off.
"I'm thankful for the collective effort of all of the law enforcement officers that participated in this very thorough and comprehensive investigation over the past 11 months. Today is the first step in bringing the person we believe is responsible for this young boy's death to justice," Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said in a statement.