A New Jersey jury on Friday found Christopher Gregor guilty of manslaughter after he forced his six-year-old son to run on a treadmill at high speeds, leading to his death.
A viral video of the 31-year-old forcing his son to run on a treadmill showed how the young kid was repeatedly asked to run on the machine even after he was thrown away because of high speed. Gregor allegedly forced his child to do so because he was “fat”.
In a significant decision in the case, an Ocean County jury found Gregor guilty of manslaughter on Friday, reported Asbury Park Press. However, he managed to dodge a murder charge in the disturbing case. The accused in the case appeared stonefaced when the verdict was announced. However, his ex-partner and mother of the victim Corey, Breanna Micciolo, burst into tears after hearing the verdict.
“We’re happy with the verdict and we thank the prosecutor’s office,” Asbury Park Press quoted Micciolo as saying.
Soon after the verdict, netizens hailed the justice system for holding Gregor accountable for his actions. Despite finding Gregor guilty of manslaughter, the jury rejected the murder charge against the accused. If he would have found guilty of killing his son, then Gregor would have to face a 30-year to life imprisonment sentence. However, now the accused will face 10 to 30 years in jail on the lesser charge. He will be sentenced on August 2.
The decision was announced after the jury performed a four-week trial in which the CCTV footage of the gym was shown as a key piece of evidence. In the video, it was clearly visible how Gregor forced Corey to run on a treadmill after the six-year-old fell off multiple times due to the machine’s high speed. In the CCTV footage, Gregor could be seen further increasing the treadmill speed and forcing his son to run on the machine.
The case has highlighted the issue of child abuse and the importance of reporting any suspected cases. If you suspect that a child is being abused, please contact the authorities immediately.
New Jersey Jury Convicts Father of Manslaughter in Treadmill Death of His Son
