Jurors continued their deliberations for a second day on Friday in the murder trial of a New Jersey father accused of causing the death of his 6-year-old son, amidst heated arguments from both prosecutors and defense attorneys over the true cause of the boy’s demise.
The defense team for Christopher Gregor, the father in question, maintains that his son died due to an infection rather than injuries linked to forced treadmill workouts. They argue that the injuries were not the result of Gregor’s actions.
Gregor’s legal counsel argued in Wednesday’s closing statements that the prosecution failed to provide compelling evidence that Corey Micciolo succumbed to blunt-force trauma and internal injuries, as the autopsy reportedly indicated.
Closing arguments commenced on Wednesday after Gregor declined to take the stand in his defense, an announcement he made in court on Tuesday, prompting surprised reactions from the courtroom audience.
On Wednesday, Gregor’s defense team highlighted that the prosecution did not call upon any police officers, medical professionals, or expert witnesses to substantiate the claim that the boy’s death was due to the alleged trauma.
The defense contends that an infection was the true cause of Micciolo’s death, challenging the idea that Gregor’s actions were responsible for any fatal injury.
Video surveillance footage captured Gregor compelling his son to run at high speeds on a treadmill, with the child falling off the equipment repeatedly as Gregor increased the speed.
On Thursday, jurors requested to review this video evidence once more.
Gregor maintains that he took Micciolo to the hospital after the boy woke up from a nap in a confused state. Despite medical attention, Micciolo suffered a seizure and passed away at the hospital. Gregor now faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child and first-degree murder.
Breanna Micciolo, the boy’s mother, claims to have reported suspected abuse over 100 times in the 18 months leading up to her son’s death, although no action was taken during that period.
Truth Voices’s Jeff Arnold contributed to this report.
