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"What Corey received that day was abuse of the most egregious sort and doesn't square with the defendant's statements today," said Ryan from an Ocean County courtroom in footage shared by Court TV.
What he was referring to was the series of videos, obtained by Court TV, that show 32-year-old Gregor forcing 6-year-old Corey Micciolo to sprint for extended periods of time even after falling, again and again.
Corey died on April 2, 2021. A post-mortem exam showed he had suffered injuries due to blunt force trauma.
After initially being charged with murder in Corey's death, Gregor was ultimately found guilty by a jury on May 31 of a lesser charge, aggravated manslaughter, in connection with events that happened on April 2, 2021. He was also convicted of endangerment of the welfare of a child for the treadmill incident, on March, 20, 2021.
Gregor, of Monroe Township, was sentenced Friday, Aug. 2, to 25 years New Jersey State Prison by Ryan, who referenced the gut-wrenching treadmill incident multiple times.
Ryan notes in court that Gregor, who earned his master's degree in education from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, allegedly kissed his life and career in Baltimore goodbye to be a father to Corey in New Jersey, when he learned he had a son.
But a loving father figure raising his son to be a man was a far cry from the dad that Corey got, Ryan detailed in court on Friday.
Of the hundreds of letters he received from people around the country, there were some about the treadmill incident itself, particularly in defense of Gregor, that he felt were important to address.
Many letters tried to portray the treadmill incident in a certain way: Indicating that Gregor was a driven athlete, having learned as a child, "If you fall, you get back up," Gregor said.
"That would be an inaccurate portrayal of what we all saw on the treadmill incident," the judge said. "You can't analogize that to a young boy or girl learning to ride a bike without training wheels, and falling [and getting back up].
Ryan recalled watching the video in amazement as Corey ran independently on the treadmill as Gregor lifted weights around the gym. Then, Gregor comes over and increases his son's speed. Ryan recalled watching in horror, thinking the increases would be short sprints, but they continued, and the boy falls over, and over again.
Meanwhile, his controlling dad, physically puts him back on the treadmill.
"There is no loving interaction between Mr. Gregor and Corey," the judge said. "There is none of the kindness you would expect to see from a father... who claims to have left Baltimore, given up his career to come to New Jersey to be a father."
No hug. No high-five. No pat on the back, the judge said.
Just a dad treating his son like a stray dog, Ryan noted.
“Christopher Gregor will spend the rest of his days here on earth knowing that he caused the death of his son Corey," Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.
"While nothing can bring this precious child back to his family, I hope that today’s sentence brings some sense of closure for those who knew and loved Corey. At long last, justice for Corey has been accomplished."
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