Danvers School psychologist found guilty of child pornography charges

DANVERS, MA – A former North Shore child and family psychologist accused of keeping a “hidden room” containing thousands of images of child pornography in his Danvers apartment has been sentenced to three to four years in state prison after being convicted of was found guilty of child pornography charges.

The Essex County District Attorney’s Office said 71-year-old Mark Ternullo was charged after a contractor working on his Danvers apartment discovered the photos in 2022. Court documents claimed that an investigation revealed additional photos on Ternullo’s hard drive.

He was convicted of two counts of possession of child pornography in Salem Superior Court last week after a three-day trial and sentenced Wednesday. He was also sentenced to three years probation after serving his sentence and must register as a sex offender.

Ternullo worked as a child and family psychologist for 20 years, serving schools in Beverly, Gloucester, Methuen, Middleton, Newburyport and Newton. He was licensed to practice medicine as a psychiatrist
suspended by the state in 2022.

The case involved work by the Danvers Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Crime Scene Services units.

The Essex District Attorney’s Office said in 2022 that Ternullo was charged with child pornography after a contractor hired to renovate the bathroom of Ternullo’s apartment removed the wall behind the bathtub due to extensive water damage and “found a hidden room, which contained several boxes full of pornographic images”. of the children were stored.”

The DA’s office said Ternullo had lived in the apartment for the past 23 years.

As part of the sentence, prosecutors said Ternullo was also ordered to stay away from the home and have no contact with anyone under 18.