Former EMT Facing Further Charges in Child Sexual Abuse Case
- Dignity 4Patients
- Sep 17
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 9
By Brandon NG- 17/09/2025- Portsmouth Herald- [Todd Burnim]- [New Hampshire, US]
A former Kensington EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) currently serving a minimum 50-year prison sentence for possessing child sexual abuse images will soon be heading to trial on 84 additional counts related to the same offense.
Todd A. Burnim, 58, is scheduled to go to trial in January after he, in March and April 2024, was indicted on 48 counts of possessing child pornography, 24 counts of possessing child sexual abuse images, 10 counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault and two counts of felonious sexual assault.
He, along with his attorneys, appeared in court this week to try and to exclude an expert that prosecutors intend to call during his upcoming trial.
Burnim, who has maintained his innocence, was convicted by a Rockingham County jury in 2024 on 15 counts of possession of child sex abuse images and sentenced to a minimum of 50 years to 100 years in state prison. He is currently appealing that sentence to the New Hampshire Supreme Court.
Prosecutors, who have called Burnum a "predator," filed the additional charges during and after Burnim's first trial based on additional images found during the investigation.
Burnim previously served as an EMT for the Kensington and East Kingston Fire Departments and also worked for Action Ambulance Service, according to the Kensington police. He was arrested in January 2022 after a two-hour standoff with police on charges of allegedly drugging and abusing three minor victims over several years.
According to court documents, he was accused of sexually abusing one child from the age of 6 to 12 years old and another from the age of 9 to 12. A third child was sexually abused in 2017 for a period of a few weeks, according to police, who said the victims described being given “white pills” and “green liquid from a syringe.”
Police said the sexual abuse images were discovered on his computer and other devices during a police investigation into the abuse charges.
More than 800 images were initially found, according to court documents. Five images were also found on a mobile phone and another five on external drives. A large portion of the images, according to court documents, contained sexual abuse committed against infants and toddlers. There were also a number of images of an adult engaged in sexual acts with a female child or female children.
When Burnim was sentenced in July 2024, he was awaiting two separate trials: one for allegedly sexually abusing three minors; the other for 26 additional counts of possession of child sexual abuse images.
Prosecutors ultimately did not pursue the case centered around the three minors. They notified the court of their intent in July and September 2024.
In a notice filed with the court, prosecutor Taylor Beucler stated the victims were "unable to go forward at this time. Also, the court sentenced the defendant to 50-100 years on another case litigated here in Rockingham County."
However, prosecutors did move forward with additional child sexual abuse images, child pornography and sexual assault charges. That raised the 26 counts to 90 felony indictments.
"Twelve of the twenty-four images allegedly portray Mr. Burnim sexually assaulting an individual under the age of 13, and are thus additionally charged as (aggravated felonious sexual assaults) and (felonious sexual assaults)," a court filing said.
"Essentially, the State accuses Mr. Burnim of participating in a sexual assault of a child or children; creating, manufacturing, or distributing images of these sexual assaults and of other illegal sexual contact with a child or children; and possessing those same CSAI images," it continued, using an acronym for child sexual abuse images.
In September 2024, Burnim’s attorneys, ultimately without objection from prosecutors, filed a motion to sever six of the 90 charges: two counts each of manufacturing child sexual abuse images, possessing child sexual abuse images and possessing child pornography. They said the remaining 84 counts were related to unidentified individuals, while the six concerned a new victim identified as “E.V.,” from whom prosecutors allege Burnim solicited child sex abuse images.
That December, saying that “EV (was) unable to go forward with charges at this time,” prosecutors ultimately declined to proceed on the six separated charges.
The Sept. 15 hearing came after a motion filed in January by Burnim’s attorneys, who argued for the court to limit or exclude entirely the testimony of Cornelia Gonsalves, a pediatric nurse practitioner employed by prosecutors to provide expert opinion that a number of indicted images appear to portray an individual or individuals who were under the age of 18 at the time the photos were taken.
Gonsalves works with the Child Advocacy Protection Program. She was questioned by County Attorney Pat Conway about her education, qualifications and methodology.
Defense attorneys have said Gonsalves’ testimony is inadmissible because her methods were untested and not subjected to scientific peer review, had an unknown rate of error, and would prejudice a jury against Burnim.
While the filing conceded that “Ms. Gonsalves admittedly possesses substantive knowledge and expertise in the fields of pediatrics and nursing, and specific experience, it seems, in child abuse and neglect," her testimony should be excluded for the aforementioned reasons.
The second half of the hearing to determine the admissibility of Gonsalves' testimony is scheduled for Nov. 10 at 9 a.m.
Rockingham County Attorney Pat Conway did not return a request for comment. Defense attorney Heather Erskine declined to comment further.
The case was scheduled for trial in December 2024 until attorneys agreed to continue proceedings to the spring of 2025. The parties later agreed that more time was needed for the hearing on Gonsalves' testimony, postponing the trial to winter 2026.
If convicted, Burnim faces up to 20 years on each charge of possessing child sexual abuse images; up to 20 years on each charge of possessing child pornography; up to 20 years on each charge of aggravated felonious sexual assault; and up to 7 years on each charge of felonious sexual assault.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article and were abused in state run medical and health facilities, you can contact Dignity4Patients, whose helpline is open Monday to Thursday, 10am to 4pm.
Dignity4Patients Commentary: When patients and children are in vulnerable positions, they put their trust in the Emergency Workers and First Responders. It is the First Responders duty to ensure that their patient is safe and protected. To take advantage of a person in such a vulnerable position is a breach of their duty of care.
