Who is Red John?

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List of seven

Thomas McAllister
Thomas McAllister
Reede Smith
Reede Smith
Ray Haffner
Ray Haffner
Gale Bertram
Gale Bertram
Brett Partridge
Brett Partridge
Bret Stiles
Bret Stiles
Bob Kirkland
Bob Kirkland

LATEST THEORIES

 -I think that Red John may be Bret Stiles' son, who broke away from him around 1988. 
-Quite possibly Walter Mashburn.
 I think Lisbon is afraid it may be Mashburn, and that is why she looked so anxious to know the names at the top of Jane's list.

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Jane's bulletin board at the end of episode 5/13 reveals that the Smiley Face Killer (Red John) killed a female victim in Clovis, California in 1982. Prior to this episode, it was believed Red John's first victim was killed in 1998. We now know of the Elliston Barn murders in 1988. Why did Jane not reveal to Lisbon and the CBI team that he knew of a Red John killing that occurred in 1982? Also, if Ray Haffner was 21 in 1988, he would have been 15 in 1982. Possible to be Red John, but unlikely.

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Theory #1301 • By Repleting-_-
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Jane once used the saying Ockham’s razor ( how the simplest solution to a problem is usually the correct one) What would be the simplest answer to who Red John is? and there you go Red John

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Theory #1300 • By helenisnotwrong
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well fellow watchers i  really hope its not jane but my theory is that hes got bipolar right and he doesnt know hes red john so he has two personalities one being red john the other being jane!!! would explain the flashbacks with him and his father in the earlier seasons!!!

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbLbiMvYkS8
The Mentalist meets German Chancellor
Red John = Angela Merkel

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Theory #1296 • By ninde_84
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why RJ is not killing PJ or members of the group?because is one of them...and i think that it's Teresa. after so many years she feels affection for her group, but nevertheless she needs to kill.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=590v4FCm6WU   <----Ok, so, somebody made this theory that the guy in the red sweater could be Red John, and this video explains why...I think it sounds like a good theory, but if you don't believe that one, there is another "guy in red" in that episode who appears pretty sneakily and only for a split second!
If you go to the 2:17 mark in this video, you will see a man in red, running across the background when the cops are about to arrest Jane, one of them being the bald cop who "cleans up" the crime scene.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=590v4FCm6WU  I'm not sure if anyone else noticed this guy, and maybe he's just a random background running away from the gun shots, but he could have been telling the bald cop what to do before he went to arrest Jane, then quickly fled the scene.
This is definitely a long shot, but just something to get people thinking I guess.

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