Ongoing Abuse Preceded NJ 6-Year-Old's Death: Affidavit

BARNEGAT, NJ — The injuries that led to the death of a 6-year-old Barnegat boy last April were the result of ongoing abuse and not a single incident, a forensic pathologist told the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, per records obtained by Patch.

Blunt impact injuries of the chest and abdomen caused bruises and lacerations to the heart and liver of Corey Micciolo, according to Dr. Thomas Andrew, a forensic pathologist who was chief medical examiner for the state of New Hampshire for 20 years. Andrew also noted that an acute traumatic injury to the heart happened four to 12 hours before the boy's death, and that there was evidence of chronic abuse.

Andrew’s report is cited in the probable cause affidavit for the murder charge filed March 9 against Christopher Gregor, 29, last week in connection with Corey’s death by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

The affidavit refers to the boy only by his initials, but his mother, Breanna Micciolo, publicly identified him as Corey Micciolo last year in social media posts about the boy's death.

"Dr. Andrews is a consummate professional and well regarded in the field of forensic pathology. He gave a very detailed report of a child he never examined. Instead relied on documents and reports provided to him by the prosecution without ever reviewing any other reports from any source but the Ocean County Prosecutor. They hired him, they paid him and he gave them a report to fit the narrative that they want to portray," Gregor's attorney, Mario Gallucci, told Patch. "Mr. Gregor did not abuse Corey and completely denies the allegations."

Gregor, who had not been part of Corey’s life until the boy was 4 years old, had primary custody of him, according to the affidavit, which said there was an extensive history of custodial issues between Gregor and Micciolo and a history of child abuse allegations by both.

The affidavit cites several instances of abuse that Breanna Micciolo said Corey had suffered and includes details of the investigation into an incident days before his death where Corey told his mother and authorities that Gregor made him run on a treadmill “really fast,” even after he fell several times.

Micciolo told authorities Gregor said Corey was fat, weighing him frequently and making him work out to lose weight, the affidavit said. The affidavit additionally quotes other witnesses not related to the boy as saying Gregor called Corey “fat” and said he needed to exercise.

Video of the treadmill incident, on March 20, 2021, shows Gregor and Corey in a fitness center, where he puts Corey on the treadmill, according to the affidavit. The detective describes the video as showing Gregor adjusting the speed, at which point Corey falls off the treadmill. Gregor grabs him by the shirt and puts him back on the treadmill. As Corey struggles to gain footing, Gregor appears to be biting his head, the affidavit said. When Corey finally gets his footing, Gregor adjusts the speed again and Corey falls off again. It happens four more times before Gregor appears to tell Corey to step on the side of the treadmill and get back on that way. He continues running and then the treadmill is turned off and the two leave the gym, according to the affidavit.

According to the affidavit, Corey told his mother that Gregor was mad and made him run on the treadmill “really fast.” He also told her he fell and hit his head while running on the treadmill, the affidavit said.

Micciolo took Corey to the pediatrician for a scheduled appointment on April 1, 2021, where the doctor was told of the treadmill incident. The pediatrician told Micciolo the bruises on Corey's body seemed suspicious and advised her to take him to Community Medical Center and then Jersey Shore University Medical Center, which she did, the affidavit said. Tests taken returned back normal.

The next day, on April 2, Micciolo took Corey to Gregor's and the affidavit said she described the boy's behavior that morning as "normal." Gregor is quoted in the affidavit as saying that Corey was acting like a "drunk little kid" when he returned home.

“I’m going to be an adult for a second and explain something to you. When your kid has a huge bruise on his forehead with no explanation from the other parent, which made me suspicious in the first place, then you Skype and he has a huge red mark on his face saying he got it during football, then he comes over and has huge bruises on every part of his body with no explanation except football? Tell me what you would do?” Micciolo said in a message to Gregor after dropping their son off to Gregor's house. “I wouldn’t have gone this far if it was one accident or two maybe but now three?”

Gregor said in the affidavit that Corey was tired and took a nap, and woke up stumbling and slurring his words. After this was when Gregor took Corey to the hospital, where the affidavit says the boy was experiencing nausea and shortness of breath. He was taken to a CT scan where he began having seizures and after life-saving measures were attempted Corey was pronounced dead.

Dr. Dante Ragasa, the Ocean County Medical Examiner, had conducted an autopsy on Corey on April 3, 2021, and noted several bruises on the boy, as well as hemorrhaging of the liver.

Gregor was charged with child endangerment in the weeks after Corey's death. Gregor was charged with murder on March 9 and is currently being held in Ocean County Jail.

Read More:

Man Charged With Murder In 6-Year-Old Son's Death In Barnegat

Barnegat Man Charged With Child Endangerment After Son's Death

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