A 31-year-old American man is currently on trial in New Jersey for the murder of his 6-year-old son, Corey. Suspected of repeated abuse, the father allegedly forced his son to run on a treadmill to the point of exhaustion because he found him “too fat”.
A father accused of serious abuse. Christopher, a 31-year-old American, has been on trial since April 30 in New Jersey, United States, after the death of his 6-year-old son in 2021. The father is accused of murder and endangering a child , after notably forcing him to run on a treadmill.
According to prosecutors, the young boy, named Corey, was forced by his father to run on a treadmill, with Christopher gradually increasing the speed of the machine, reports ABC News.
The scene, filmed by a video surveillance camera, shows the child falling head first approximately 6 times due to the speed of the carpet. The father picks up the boy and places him back on the mat.
According to the prosecution, the child suffered a final fall and suffered blunt force trauma. He finally died two weeks later after a cardiac arrest, a death linked to his father’s repeated abuse, prosecutors believe.
The child died of septicemia, according to the father
A version contested by Christopher’s lawyer. Me Mario Gallucci asserts, during the trial, that the young boy died as a result of sepsis, caused by pneumonia. It is based on medical expertise in this direction.
“When you see this video, you will be horrified,” admits the lawyer, addressing the jury during the trial. He assures, however, that this racing session has “absolutely nothing to do” with the child’s death.
According to the defense, the boy’s body, after autopsy, showed traces of beatings. The child’s heart and liver were also lacerated. For the father’s lawyer, the bruises are linked to the boy’s falls on the treadmill and his playing football.
Repeated acts of abuse, according to the prosecution
The child’s mother, who was in a custody dispute with the father, testified during the trial. She claims to have noticed bruises on Corey’s forehead and chest before his death, Sky News reports.
The child was taken to the pediatrician who saw no cause for concern. The boy, however, confides to the doctor that he is forced to run on a treadmill by his father because the latter finds him “too fat”.
About ten days after his fall from the treadmill, which occurred on March 20, 2021, Corey woke up from a nap, the following April 2, with speech difficulties and nausea. He was quickly transported to hospital where he died shortly after.
According to the medical examiner, the boy’s death was linked to repeated acts of abuse, including blunt force injuries to the abdomen and lacerations to the heart. The father was arrested a few months later for acts of neglect of a child. He is charged with murder on March 9, 2022 and faces life imprisonment.
