Former child and family psychologist Mark Ternullo, age 71, has been sentenced to three to four years in state prison for possession of child pornography, announced Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker. The sentencing by Judge Thomas Drechsler follows a jury trial concluding last Friday, as reported by the Essex County District Attorney's Office.
During the trial, Assistant District Attorney Maria Markos presented substantial evidence, including thousands of images of child pornography found in Ternullo's previous apartment in Danvers, Mass., and additional images located on a hard drive. The illegal content was discovered by a contractor earlier in 2022 during renovations. Following the prison term, Ternullo is required to undergo three years of probation. It was during conducting renovations that a contractor stumbled upon the images in a space within the apartment.
Ternullo's history of working as a psychologist spans over two decades, with positions in schools across several Massachusetts towns. His license was suspended in 2022. As a part of the terms of his sentencing, Ternullo will also be mandated to register as a sex offender, have no unsupervised interaction with individuals under 18, avoid witnesses and his previous apartment, and undergo a sex offender treatment program.
Defense attorney Thomas Pierce represented Ternullo throughout the proceedings, as disclosed in the announcement from the Essex County District Attorney's Office. The effort to bring the case to a close also involved the Danvers Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
