A Monroe Township man who brutally beat a 6-year old boy at a home in Barnegat last March had been charged with that child's murder that occurred a couple of weeks after the attack.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Barnegat Township Police Chief Keith A. Germain issued a statement Wednesday announcing that 29-year old Christopher Gregor, was charged in connection with the boy's death on April 2, 2021, at Southern Ocean Medical Center in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township.

It was on that day Stafford Police responded to the hospital after the boy, identified as C.M., passed away.

On the following day, a post-mortem exam was performed by the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office, which ruled that C.M. sustained injuries due to blunt force trauma.

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Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit Detectives, as well as Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Squad Detectives and Barnegat Police Detectives, learned through their investigation that Gregor abused the child in Barnegat Township on March 20, 2021.

Gregor was charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child on July 7, 2021.

He was arrested, charged, and brought to the Ocean County Jail, Gregor but was then released because of New Jersey's Bail Reform laws.

It was just a week ago though that the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said that they received a report from the State’s expert witness which indicated that "C.M. died as a result of blunt force impact of the chest and abdomen," and the report ruled the child’s death to be a homicide.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Barnegat Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, continued their investigation and found out that C.M. was in the custody of Gregor at the time he sustained his life-ending injuries, and that Gregor is responsible for the child’s death.

Gregor was arrested on Wednesday by detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force, Sea Bright Police Department, and Barnegat Township Police Department and is currently in the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.

“I’m thankful for the collective effort of all of the law enforcement officers that participated in this very thorough and comprehensive investigation over the past 11 months. Today is the first step in bringing the person we believe is responsible for this young boy’s death to justice,” Prosecutor Billhimer said in a statement. “This truly was a team effort, and I’m grateful for the determination and resolve exhibited by all the agencies involved,” Prosecutor Billhimer concluded.

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