Most of my articles (and videos) focus on things such as ghost photos, paranormal TV shows, and ghost gadgets. However, on occasion I have focused my investigative skills on a specific person. For example, in 2021 I investigated the claims of a local “psychic intuitive” who claimed he had worked on a well-publicized murder case that required special permission from the Pennsylvania Attorney General to re-open (Biddle 2021). After speaking with the detective assigned to the cold case, it was revealed that the psychic had never been a part of the case whatsoever. 

The investigation discussed here started with a text from my friend Taryn Kerper. Kerper hosts a weekly paranormal-themed podcast titled Paranormal Brew. After a recent episode, she reached out to me asking for advice on how to research people. When I inquired why, she related that her last guest made several extraordinary claims that just didn’t sit well with her, so she wanted to verify some of his statements.   

That guest was sixty-seven-year-old Robert Righi, a self-proclaimed “psychic medium and forensic psychologist.” Since 2018, he’s done quite a few interviews on both radio stations and podcasts, making the rounds on paranormal and religious-themed shows. According to Righi’s statements, he has two master’s degrees (one in forensic psychology and one in clinical social work) from the University of Florida, graduating in 1980; interviewed serial killer Ted Bundy in 1980; and was involved in two exorcisms sanctioned by the Archdiocese of Chicago. He’s built up quite an impressive backstory—until one begins to investigate his claims. 

I began my investigation by listening to hours (and hours) of interviews given by Righi and creating a timeline of claims. It became obvious quite quickly that he had several scripted stories. The wording, the jokes, specific phrases … many of the interviews were almost exact duplicates of previous ones, depending on the main topic (he has a few “scripts”). I say “almost,” because his stories have evolved additional details over the course of retellings. A primary example of this can be found in his alleged original story.

His First Apparition 

In most of the interviews I’ve listened to (over a dozen), Righi likes to begin the interview by relating his first experience seeing a ghost. As Righi tells it on Bigfoot and the Bunny podcast, he was only four years old and needed to use the bathroom. Before reaching his destination, he was met by the apparition of Abraham Lincoln. Righi goes on to explain that Lincoln didn’t speak, just smiled and nodded at him, which Righi interpreted as “an affirmation, from Abe Lincoln, telling me that of my gifts and abilities, and he was nodding his head, yes, Robert, you do have these” (Shortridge 2022). The apparition soon disappeared, and Righi was able to finish his relief mission. 

I heard this story related repeatedly over many podcasts—until I got to Stories of the Paranormal, posted October 1, 2019. Just over eight minutes into this interview, Righi is once again relating the story of his first apparition. The details are unfolding the same way I’ve heard them before, and as I’m anticipating the reveal of Abraham Lincoln, I am surprised to hear Righi state, “His name was Lucas. He finally told me his name was Lucas” (Pellicer 2019). Wait … what? I listened again (just to be sure), and again I hear this significant change in Righi’s origin story. He didn’t see the sixteenth president of the United States in this version but instead a total stranger. In fact, the host asks, “Was it a stranger? It wasn’t a family member or anything like that?” To which Righi replies, “No, it wasn’t … at all. It was someone I didn’t know.” In addition, the apparition of “Lucas” speaks to RIghi, claiming to have been sent to guide Righi on his spiritual journey. 

This certainly contradicts his later retellings of this story. The recasting of the apparition throws some doubt onto Righi’s credibility. Naturally, this inspired me to dig into his various other claims, such as being a multi-state licensed forensic psychologist. 

A Licensed Forensic Psychologist in Nine, Ten—or Maybe Twelve—States

Near the beginning of each interview, Righi recites his credentials: “In 1980 I was at the University of Florida. I was working on my master’s degrees. I have two; one in Forensic Psychology and the other one in Clinical Social Work” (Haffern Paranormal 2022). In many cases, he adds that he has “extensive experience and licensure in psychology” (Mark 2018) as well as being “a criminal profiler for 35 years for the state of Florida” (KCOR 2022). He graduated in 1980, though it seems he would have graduated in 1978, but as he explains, “I took two extra years of physiology and anatomy. I wanted to know more about the body. I took extra courses in neurology” (Kerper 2022). 

After listening to over two dozen interviews (between one and two-and-a-half hours each), something stood out to me: Righi doesn’t seem to speak like a trained psychologist, social worker, or criminal profiler. Admittedly, I’m far from being any sort of authority on the matter, but I have had the pleasure of speaking/interacting with several such professionals during my career. Righi stands apart, and not in a good way. In a radio interview in 2019, Righi is asked about being a forensic psychologist, specifically “what is that title?” Righi replies, “forensics basically means medical technology taken into the court room. That’s all it means” (Colborn 2019). This is a curiously pedestrian definition, and one of dubious relevance to the field of psychology. It’s also quite different from how the American Psychological Association describes it: “The distinctiveness of forensic psychology is its advanced knowledge and skills reflecting the intersection of legal theory, procedures and law with clinical issues, practice and ethics” (APA 2022). I am not confident that Righi knows what he’s talking about. 

I first contacted the University of Florida’s Office of Registrar, inquiring whether anyone by the name of “Robert Righi” had obtained those degrees in that year. I received a response from the office stating they had no one in their system by that name. However, if the former student was born prior to 1955, their records may not be digitized into the system, and Righi was born in 1954. If he had records that weren’t entered in the university’s digital system, Righi would have to contact the university and request his records be added. So, not a clear answer either way.

Next, I began searching for any record of Righi obtaining not one, but multiple psychology licenses. Allow me to clarify: During his interview on the Bigfoot & the Bunny podcast (October 11, 2021), Righi states, “I do have my master’s degree also and I’m also licensed in nine states as a forensic psychologist and clinical social worker” (Carr and Johnson 2021). Nine state licenses? I thought that might be a little overkill, until I listened to another one of Righi’s interviews. On the Historically Haunted Show on January 15, 2022, Righi states “I am licensed to practice psychology, forensic psychology particularly, in ten states” (Begin 2022). He gained a state licensure within three months! It seems that Righi’s professional achievements just skyrocketed; six days later, on the Shadow Zone podcast (January 21, 2022), Righi states, “I have Master’s in Forensic Psychology & Clinical Social Work … now I’m licensed in twelve different states, I got licensed for the state of South Dakota” (James 2022). 

Over the course of three months, Righi obtained three additional state licenses (on another podcast, which has been deleted, had Righi claiming fifteen states). I found this odd, since the man is sixty-seven years old and allegedly retired. So, I began searching each state for licenses in his name, starting with Florida, where he has claimed to have had a private practice (Bertram 2021). I contacted the Florida Department of Health, asking if Righi has or has ever been licensed in their state. They responded, “We were unable to find any evidence of Robert Righi ever holding a license with the Department of Health in the state of Florida.” 

I then moved on to the state of South Dakota, which Righi specifically mentions in the Shadow Zone interview (James 2022). My inquiry was met by a similar response from Brooke Geddes, executive assistant at the South Dakota Department of Health. She writes, “I am not finding anyone in our database by that last name.”

I then went national, checking each of the fifty states. Checking both psychologist and social worker (when applicable), and not one state returned a record of licensure (active or inactive) for his name—including his home state of Illinois. According to the Florida Board of psychology, an application for licensure by examination requires more than a master’s degree: “U.S. Trained Applicants: Submission of your official doctoral level (Ph.D., Psy.D. or Ed.D) transcript in psychology as proof of graduation from a program accredited by the American Psychological Association” (Florida DoH 2022).

Righi also maintains that he worked as a criminal profiler in Florida for thirty to thirty-five years (Shortridge 2022). According to Righi, “We worked under the state of Florida, and we worked for the Florida Bureau of Investigation. We also worked for the Attorney General of the state of Florida” (Swetz 2021). If Righi graduated in 1980 (as he claims), thirty-five years would take him to 2015. Yet, a public records check shows that Righi has a criminal record from within Peoria County, Illinois, that spans from 1992 to 2002, where he served varying jail times from one night to three months for separate arrests (Peoria County 2022). I could be wrong, but I have serious doubts that the state of Florida and/or the FBI would allow him to continue employment. 

Based on the information I have collected, I seriously doubt that Righi is in fact a licensed forensic psychologist; he simply doesn’t have the required qualifications. This is somewhat troubling, since Righi uses these credentials to encourage parents of “children of the paranormal” to contact him, so that he can be a mentor to children with alleged psychic abilities. With the strong possibility these credentials are totally false, why would anyone trust Righi with their kids? 

Righi has a habit of giving out his phone number at the end of every interview, adding “If you have any questions, if you just want to talk, please give me a call”—so that’s what I did. I called several times (February 12, 17, 27), leaving messages with my name, number and purpose—that I wanted to clarify some issues I (and others) had with his story. A week has passed since my last attempt, and I have yet to receive a response. 

The Exorcism of Kevin

In several interviews, Righi mentions that he was involved in “two exorcisms sanctioned by the Archdiocese of Chicago” and, at times, briefly describes the details of both exorcisms. As I worked through show after show, I came upon an episode of the Sasquatch Odyssey podcast from January 9, 2022, which focused on the “Exorcism of Kevin.” Righi relates the details of his involvement, from “Kevin” calling him for help in the early morning hours all the way to a multi-day exorcism performed at a Jesuit monastery attached to the Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. 

Throughout the story, Righi relates how he was contacted by a gentleman named Kevin around three in the morning (hinting that the 3 AM time holds some supernatural significance). Kevin thinks he’s possessed by a demon, and Righi claims that various (extraordinary) psychic experiences occurred during the call (e.g., seeing blood, tingling on his left side, hearing demonic voices). The next morning, Righi states he called the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois (Gilmore and Mersol 2021), who sent out a priest to pick up Righi, so they could both travel to Colchester, Illinois, where Kevin allegedly lived, and assess the situation.

The purpose of the visit was to determine whether Kevin was indeed possessed and required an exorcism. One of the main determinations that Kevin was possessed, according to Righi, was that Kevin/the demon knew a secret, specifically that Righi had been adopted. On the podcast Touched by Heaven, Righi tells us that the demon spoke to him, saying, “Robert, I’m gonna tell you things that only you know … and then he began to tell me of me being adopted. Now how would Kevin know that? It’s not on my Facebook” (Jack 2020). Relating the same story in a different interview, Righi states, “That was a clear indication to me that yes, that Kevin was possessed” (Mark 2018). 

I wondered if, by chance, there was a way Kevin—or anyone—could find out if Righi was adopted. By at least two accounts, Righi gives indications that this exorcism took place in 2017. I employed a deviously complex research technique honed by my years of investigational insight: I scrolled though Righi’s Facebook page. Within a few minutes, I found what I needed. On November 23, 2015, Righi posted, “I am so very grateful so very blessed by being adopted by my aunt and uncle, they chose to adopt me …” (Righi 2015). So, there definitely was a way Kevin (if he’s real) would be able to find out.

Further along in this story, Righi states the exorcism was approved by the archdiocese of Chicago. Another priest is assigned to perform the exorcism, who Righi names as Fr. Michael. Righi goes on to explain that Fr. Michael was the same priest featured in the mockumentary, Demon House, by Zak Bagans (Biddle 2018). Fr. Michael, along with additional reference to his appearance in Demon House, also come up in interviews on KZUM 89.3 (2019 “he’s a good friend of mine”) and the podcast Insane Asylum (2021 “He’s a very, very good friend of mine”). 

I wanted to verify this exorcism story (mainly Righi’s alleged involvement) with the Archdiocese of Chicago, as well as the Diocese of Peoria. I’ve called both offices—twice—leaving messages that have gone unanswered so far. However, since I had the name of the priest, I had someone I could contact directly. 

I reached out to Fr. Michael Maginot at St. Stephen Martyr Catholic church in Merrillville, Indiana. The first minute of our phone call set the stage; I asked how long Fr. Michael had known Robert Righi. His response was simple and very telling: “Who? I don’t recall knowing a Robert Righi” (Fr. Michael 2022). I explained my purpose in contacting him and provided details from the interview. Fr. Michael maintained that he did not know anyone by the name of Robert Righi. Furthermore, Fr. Michael did not recall ever performing an exorcism on anyone named Kevin nor would he ever perform an exorcism outside of his church. 

After some further conversation, I sent Fr. Michael a link to the podcast interview so he could review it later that night. The next morning, he called me back and clarified that he was the priest Righi was describing in the interview. Fr. Michael confirmed that he has never met Robert Righi and never performed this alleged exorcism. Fr. Michael also added that many of the details Righi provided concerning the exorcism were false. Although there were a few details Righi did get correct, Fr. Michael quickly added that these could have easily been looked up. He also stated that he doubted this alleged exorcism ever actually happened. 

Although I’m still waiting for a call back from the two dioceses, the information from Fr. Michael completely destroys Righi’s claim, like Luke Skywalker destroyed the first Death Star. On a related note, Fr. Michael asked if I would pass on a message, requesting that Righi stop using his name in relation to this fabricated story. I agreed and included this message in my last call to Righi. 

The Ted Bundy interview

One of Mr. Righi’s more popular claims is his alleged interview with serial killer Ted Bundy. During his interview on the podcast Insane Asylum with Jay Hill, Righi states, “When I was at the University of Florida, I went to the department head. And the department head knew that I was a psychic medium. I had reached out to them asking them if myself and several other psychologists could go and interview Ted Bundy while he was on death row. So, I wrote a letter to Ted and to his lawyer, and also to the warden. And two weeks later, I received a letter from Ted Bundy, from the warden, and from his lawyer … that they agreed to it. They agreed for myself, three female psychologists, and another male psychologist to go and have ninety minutes with him” (Roberts 2021). 

The above scenario is repeated on most of his more recent podcast interviews. However, when I listened to an interview from the Stories of the Paranormal podcast, which took place two years earlier, Righi related a slightly different version of the story. In this version, Righi claims “Six months into the program I was asked by the dean of psychology department, or the chair of the department, if I’d be interested in going and interviewing Ted Bundy. He (the chair) said ‘Robert, it’s gonna be you and five other students that have the experience with the realm of psychology … There were three gentleman and there were two ladies … two female students” (Pellicer 2019). 

His original story had the head of the psychology department approaching Righi six months into the program, asking him to go int.erview Bundy, which would have been in the beginning of his master’s program. The later version flips the story, making the interview Righi’s idea and has him approaching the department head near the time he was to graduate. Also, the number and ratio of additional students changed; originally it was two females and three additional male students. This changed to be three females and one additional male. 

One more contradiction pops up in the two versions. In recent interviews, Righi clearly states he wrote to Ted Bundy, his lawyer, and the warden prior to the interview asking for permission to visit. Within a few weeks, he received a reply from all three. In the earlier (2019) version of the story, Righi relates how Bundy apparently knew that he was psychic, looking Righi in the eyes and dramatically saying “Robert, I know who you are and what you can do.” After the interview was over, Righi states, “the Professor looked bewildered, he thought I had written to Mr. Bundy before we had gone there but I never did. I didn’t” (Pellicer 2019). So, did he write to Bundy or didn’t he? My money is on “the whole thing never happened” version. 

These small yet significant changes in the story cause me to think it has been entirely fabricated. I did contact the Florida Department of Corrections, inquiring if there were any records available of visitors to Ted Bundy in 1980. I received a response from Jeffrey McClellan, Assistant Warden, who sadly informed me that they had no records of that kind. If Righi really did receive a letter from Bundy (and claims to still have it), I would like to see it. If proven to be authentic and contains permission for Righi to visit, I’ll certainly apologize for my doubts (but I’m not worried). 

Invited to Speak at University of Edinburgh 

One final claim from Righi comes from a conversation with Taryn Kerper, the podcast host that originally brought this story to my attention. In a Facebook message to Kerper, Righi states “In 2023 I’m going to Scotland, and I have been asked to do several mini courses in the realm of parapsychology at a University in Edinburgh” (Righi 2022). I learned soon after that Righi sent the same claim to another podcast host, Bryan Laverty of Through the Lens.  

Naturally, I contacted the University of Edinburgh, the only university in the area that deals with parapsychology to inquire about Righi’s alleged mini courses. I received a response from Caroline Watt, Koestler Chair of Parapsychology. She stated, “I am head of the Koestler Parapsychology Unit, which is based in the Psychology dept. We have just two lecturers on parapsychology: myself and Dr. Peter Lamont. I’ve never heard of Robert Righi and am not aware of any parapsychology courses that he might be involved with at University of Edinburgh” (Watt 2022). I’m not surprised.

Conclusion

I spent a lot of time on this investigation, and I’m still not done. You may ask, “Why are you wasting so much time on this guy?” Well, as I mentioned earlier, Righi encourages parents with children who may be demonstrating psychic and/or medium-like abilities to reach out to him. He’s built himself an impressive backstory, which is enhanced by his friendly nature. The problem is, the backstory appears to be completely made up. And that concerns me. 

He repeatedly states he is already mentoring fifteen “children of the paranormal,” whose ages ranged from five years old to sixteen (WAPM 2022). Righi claims these children have psychic powers; they can see spirits and even move things with their minds. And these special abilities scare the children so much that they often resort to extreme measures. For example, Righi relates that two of the boys attempted suicide just months before the parents contacted him and two of the girls began to self-mutilate themselves (Haffern 2022) before his involvement. These anecdotes feel as though they’re included for dramatic effect, for shock value, rather than being a genuine event. 

After digging into his claims, I don’t see Righi as an educated savior of children—with or without myriad degrees and licensures. Rather, I see a fabulist with a fabricated persona that evolves over time (to include more dramatic details) and continues to get himself into the spotlight, which provided the attention he seems to crave so much. He’s using a grand backstory and appearance of credentialed legitimacy to influence parents, which in turn will allow him to influence children, convincing them they are seeing spirits, angels, and demons … rather than getting science-based medical treatment for potential illnesses or disorders. 

If I’m wrong and Righi has the documentation to support his claims (such as the degrees, licenses, and video tape of the exorcism he claims to have), I strongly urge him to call me (he has my number, I gave it to him three times); I will gladly write an apology and update. 

Lastly, I would like to offer advice to the many podcasts/radio hosts; spend ten minutes and check your guest’s bio, especially when they’re filled with a boatload of grammatical errors (see image). Ask for proof, ask for documentation, or at least Google their name in association with organizations they claim to work/have worked for. In addition, to all the parents out there, before you even think to invite a stranger into your home to “mentor your kids”—especially one that you heard on a paranormal podcast—do a full background check (education, work history, criminal records, etc.). 

I must give special appreciation to Taryn Kerper, Jimmy Akin, Fr. Michael, Loyd Auerbach, Tim Vickers and Ben Radford with my sincere gratitude for their involvement and help investigating this case. 

References

Allen, Ken. 2021. The Wizard’s Table Ep.10 with Robert Righi. https://www.facebook.com/RUMediaNetwork/videos/985624435598040/.

APA. 2022. Forensic Psychology. https://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/specialize/forensic.

Begin, Adam. 2022. Historically Haunted Show – Episode #7 ~ Robert Righi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XboDdw3eP1Q.

Bertram, Dean. 2021. Robert Righi, Psychic Medium & Forensic Psychologist joins us LIVE Saturday night at 11pm Central. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBqvCl8hqFw&t=207s.

Biddle, Kenny. 2018. Demon House Deconstructed. /exclusive/demon-house-deconstructed/.

———. 2021. An Intuitive’s Story Doesn’t Check Out. /exclusive/an-intuitives-story-doesnt-check-out/.

Bland, Jason. 2021. Paranormal Soup Ep. 293 guest medium Robert Righi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfKgXpDTDDU.

Blind Guy Media LLC. 2020. Touched by Heaven podcast #119. https://touchedbyheaven.net/the-exorcism-of-kevin-tbh-119.

Carr, Chris, and Johnson, Kristen. 2021. Bigfoot and the Bunny. Psychic Medium Robert Righi. https://www.audible.com/pd/Bigfoot-and-the-Bunny-Psychic-Medium-Robert-Righi-Podcast/B09LHWYS9C.

Colborn, Scott. 2019. Exploring Unexplained Phenomena: Robert Righi, Medium & Loyd Auerbach, Parapsychologist. https://www.owltail.com/people/jXYL1-robert-righi/appearances.

Florida Dept. of Health. 2022. Psychologist Licensure by Examination. https://floridaspsychology.gov/licensing/psychologist-licensure-by-examination/.

Gilmore, Shawn and Mersol, Bryan. 2021. Our Paranormal Podcast #114 Robert Righi. https://www.facebook.com/OurParanormalPodcast/videos/550216379567859/.

Haffern Paranormal. 2022. Talking with the Source podcast. Psychic medium/Forensic Psychologists Robert Righi Episode 1! https://soundcloud.com/aj-capasso-703958991.

James, Brian. 2022. ShadowZone Paranormal Podcast with special guest Robert Righi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLj76Nwm2rU&t=681s.

KCORradio.com. 2022. Robert Righi. https://mail.kcorradio.com/guest/robert-righi.htm.

Kerper, Taryn. 2022. Robert Righi Forensic Psychologist and Medium. https://streamyard.com/tpes6zb337hp?fbclid=IwAR3L2wx0DNVEHB-mxtOpl3HJxiCPuT5UlZ1XiXQSYXicEXTkBd9hfxgcwIg.

Mark, Holsworthy. 2018. Halsworthy Mark Show. Robert Righi. https://radiopublic.com/holsworthy-mark-show-aka-ghostman-G7pOJa/s1!28d7d.

Pellicer, Marlene Pardo. 2019. Stories of the Paranormal. Angels and Spirits: Interview with Robert Righi. https://www.spreaker.com/user/miamighostchronicles/angels-and-spirits-podcast.

Peoria County. 2022. Peoria County Records Inquiry. https://justice.peoriacounty.gov/default.aspx.

Raines, Mark. 2019. Robert Righi … Talking About Kevin. https://anchor.fm/mark-antony-raines-aka-gh.

Righi, Robert. 2015. Facebook post. https://www.facebook.com/robert.righi.7/posts/182723032074147.

Roberts, Mark. 2021. Insane Asylum podcast S4 Ep2. https://www.audacy.com/podcasts/insane-asylum-32642/s4-ep2-robert-righi-is-our-guest-tonight-846961563.

Sasquatch Odyssey. 2022. EP:103 Get Behind Me Satan! The Exorcism of Kevin. https://www.audible.com/pd/SO-EP-103-Get-Behind-Me-Satan-The-Exorcism-of-Kevin-Podcast/B09Q2GDK8D.

Shortridge, Joe. 2022. 222 Paranormal Podcast. Psychic Medium Robert Righi Eps. 292. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-222-paranormal-podca-27825258/episode/psychic-medium-robert-righi-eps-292-92560819/.

Swetz. 2021. The SNS Show #38: Inside Two Minds: Robert Righi Interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhy3O5x69Uk.

Watt, Caroline. 2022. Personal correspondence.