Boy had 14 marks on his body, pediatrician testifies at father's murder trial

TOMS RIVER - A pediatrician who examined young Corey Miccioli the day before the boy died noted 14 marks and bruises on his body, but said otherwise the child appeared fine.

Dr. Nancy Deacon, a pediatrician testifying in Superior Court in Ocean County, detailed a number of yellow-green and healing bruises on the boy’s arms, torso and shins. While she could attribute some to playing football, others were large and over soft tissue, requiring further study.

Corey’s health that day — April 1, 2021 — is likely to be a key issue in the murder trial of the boy's father: the prosecution believes the boy died as a result of blunt-force trauma, while the defense says their experts believe he died of sepsis caused by pneumonia.

More: 'I feared for Corey's life,' Breanna Micciolo says during treadmill abuse trial

The boy's father, Christopher Gregor, 31, of Barnegat, is on trial, charged with his son's murder and with endangering the welfare of a child.

Deacon testified there were no sign of infection or other abnormalities, aside from the 14 lesions, bruises and scratches on his skin.

Assistant Prosecutor Jamie Schron said in her opening statement that Corey died from blunt force trauma, noting the boy had contusions all over his body, and his heart and liver were lacerated.

Corey’s mother, Breanna Micciolo, testified Monday that she was so concerned over the bruising she saw in her son in March that she filed an emergent appeal in family court for sole custody. That request was denied on April 1.

But it was during that process, when she took Corey to see a child abuse specialist, that she learned of an incident on a treadmill between Corey and his father.

Surveillance footage from the gym at Gregor's apartment complex in Barnegat showed the child running on a treadmill as his father lifted weights. But it also showed Gregor eventually coming to the treadmill and continually increasing its speed, causing Corey to fall off of it face-first about six times.

But while Gregor's attorney, Mario Gallucci, acknowledged the tape would “horrify” the jury, he said it had nothing to do with Corey’s death.

The treadmill incident and playing football were the source of Corey's bruises, Mario Gallucci said.

More: NJ man charged in murder of 6-year-old son will remain behind bars pending trial

Instead, he told the jury that his medical experts believe sepsis is to blame and that the boy’s mother signed him out of the hospital against medical advice.

On the second day of trial, the prosecution also called Corey’s teacher to the stand to bolster their abuse claims.

Kim Peace, Corey's first grade teacher at Barnegat Township School District, said that he was a "very smart" kid who loved the solar system and drawing.

But during the school year, she noticed an injury to his forehead and tried to talk to him about it, she testified. Corey's demeanor changed when she broached the subject, becoming quiet and giving only one-word answers, she said.

Peace even brought up the marks to other teachers in the school because she was concerned for Corey, she said. She also noted that Corey wore long-sleeved shirts, even on warm days, she testified.

The trial is before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Boy, 6, had bruises, doctor testifies at Chris Gregor's trial