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

Season 5: - "A friend in FBI" phrase of Red John is/might be fully confirmed in 5x05
Season 5: - "Shooked hands" Minelli suits that role for that quote in 5x08 said by Lorelei M.
Season 1: - Can't exactly remember which episode it was, but when the team was chatting with Red John's account via the computer, the eye vision reflected from the computer of the opposite side (which was in that case, Red John) might belong to Minelli himself, as he can easily access the CBI network
Season 1: - Minelli might have resigned in order not to make Jane suspicious about him as a Red John candidate
Season 2: - He keeps in touch with Patrick and helps him illegaly in an investigation, which can be a tactic of the writers to keep Minelli in the frame, as his role was not essential for recurring after his resignment in the end of the first season; by that, we can also say that writers intentionally shoot the episode 5x05 to keep Minelli in the game
Personal reasons: Gregory Itzin, who is a terrific actor, plays for the bad natured character more than usually in series or films, so he has the right aspect and charisma in the words of being the Red John
Personal reasons 2: In these kinds of fiction, the identity of the main antagonists turn to be someone that the audience knew from the very beginning, so Minelli is very appropriate for that role.
Roy Tagliaferro: By the measurements of body and size described by Harker, Minelli
suits to be the alter ego/alias of Red John
*He definitely has no alibis in many of the murders

The writers confirmed the narrowed-down list of Jane's, but that doesn't mean that the list is the absolute correct cage to hold all the candidates within it. Writers have every right to mislead the audience at all times, that's a well known tactic of fictionists.
His motives to be Red John is exclusive yet, that's for sure. But hence, he has many sidekicks and associates to build up such good network.
That's my best guess...

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Many, many great theories have been posted lately for all the suspects, but I want to put the list aside for a moment and share some thoughts not about RJ himself, but some of his accomplices.

Ive been suspecting Van Pelt for a long time. She has red hair, we know very little about her past. We know her father was football coach but thats about it.

Just now I was on a random episode streak and I end up watching s2ep10. The one with the flashback from Janes carnival past. In the episode Van Pelt is talking a women out of suicide by telling the story of her own sister and the bad decision she made by now sharing with anyone and keeping people away (even Grace). This, in my opinion is something that Jane can pull off and look really truthful, but now Grace. But yet she really look honest to me. Later in the episode when Rigsby asked her about her sister, she denied having one and changed the subject.

Also, in one of the episodes (s1ep16 if im no mistaken) Patrick tried to read Van Pelt and said "you're deeply repressed and emotionally shut down... because of a trauma in your past that you've never spoken of to anyone... ever... even yourself" Van Pelt said nothing after.

But the most suspicious think about her is from the flashback episode of Janes 1st day in CBI. When Grace and Patrick met, she looked like shocked for few seconds. Like she knew who he is, and how easy can read people. Also, she got her job in CBI right after Patrick joined aswell. Like she was putted there to keep an eye on him.

This is a very long shot tho, but you never know. Especially after all what happened with Lorelai and her sister, probably thats how RJ works - he kills the people that you love the most to weaken you and then gets under your skin. Didn't worked on Jane, but worked for Lorelai, maybe Grace.

I don't know, I wanted to share something outside the box, different that the 7 list suspects. Hope you dudes can add something. 

Cheers.

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I see many theories saying that Jane is Red John due to a split-personality disorder. This is completely and utterly stupid for many reasons:

One: Bruno said himself that Jane is not Red John.

Two: Jane came face-to-face with Red John (season 2 finale)

Three: Jane was in a car and was speaking to Red John (season 4 finale)

Four: Jane was on TV when Red John murdered his family.

Five: Red John is able to lure women in with charm; thus revealing to the women that Red John is Jane and those women wouldn't understand why he would want to plague himself.

Six: Red John poisoned Rebecca himself (we see a figure walking through, Rebecca smiling lovingly at him) after Agent Bosco was killed, Jane was upstairs and once he found out, he ran downstairs to find her dead.

So can we stop with the Jane being Red John theories? It's physically impossible for him to be Red John. This isn't a Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde story line.

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Theory #4129 • By spoon
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I make it to be Patrick himself. He does not know it tho, Red john is the stronger side of his personality split or maybe they might go for possession giving Patrick the gift he thinks no one can have.
The red john sign on the walls kinda looks like Patrick with the slanted eyes and the top of the circle creates goes off in the same direction as his.
Also this shows how he is always one step ahead and can read patricks mind.
Red johns words at the end of s5, I will kill until you catch me or I catch you. Is one and the same thing.

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If Red John can truelly manipulate people, how can we be sure Rosalinds description of RJ is real?

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Theory #4127 • By REAL
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I'm not gonna give you my clues, the only thing that i'm gonna give you is time.

Time to think.

Rosalind Harker is Red John.

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Theory #4121 • By Boobiieezmum
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I think it will be Bret Stiles because, if there is an English actor in an American movie or series, he's always the killer.

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