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

Theory #11463 • By Syayyyyyyy
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HAAH YES I KNEW IT. MY GUESS IS CORRECT. BRETT PATRIDGE IS RED JOHN. NICE TRY ON GUESSING OTHERS. 

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Theory #11459 • By Xenotim
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https://twitter.com/MattMitovich/status/401734945195823105

Red John = Brett PARTRİDGEEEEEEEEEEE


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Theory #11458 • By Readnought
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Proposal:
How Robert Kirkland faked his death.
When Jane and the CBI team last heard from or of Kirkland, he was going away for due processing... And Jane had (apparently) dismissed him as a suspect upon hearing his story.

Then Kirkland got convicted, and sent to prison.
This interlude may be hard to catch, as it is only hinted at:
When we see him in the next scene, at the end of the episode, he's dressed and chained for prison.
And this is where the Tyger Tyger crew took over, and got him shot.
Homocidal prisoners shot while trying to escape, en route to prison, may not cause that much of a ruckus in the media. And the Tyger Tyger crew would likely do what they could to hush down the case, by getting it processed by the right people. So Jane and CBI team may not have heard anything of it, when Jane calls his 5 suspect to meet him at the house.

Essentially, all that Kirkland needed to pull this scam, was someone to aid in the illusion part of his getting shot to death.
My main suspect: the driver, whose gun was used, and who was to call it in, after Reed Smith had safely left the scene of the shooting.
Supposedly, the driver had got a body stashed and ready to replace Kirklands, and might even proceed to blow away the face from behind, making identification attempts difficult.

Kirkland pulls off his prisondress and the bulletproof vest under it, and is driven to a secure location. I do expect he himself ordered the hit and timing, mind.
Probably even ordered a good and dependable shot to do it - through his RJ contacts with the Tyger Tyger crew. He knows exactly how they will handle procedure to cause the least possible ruckus, and can as thus boldly suggest to Smith that he just shoot him point blank, where he stands. A trained pro like Smith would never do so, and Kirkland knows it.

It is not crucial for this hoax whether Jane ever hear of it or not, but only that the Tyger Tyger crew believes Kirkland, the homeland security agent asking dangerous questions, to be dead. And why wouldn't they? After all, Smith did shoot him.
No reason to suspect a bulletproof vest, or that your Tyger Tyger driver is really a Red John pawn, and your victim Red John himself.

[This is a simplified version of theory combo 11112]

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Theory #11457 • By Readnought
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Proposal:
The story of Robert Kirklands twin Michael, true or false, is really just a conveniently touching story of how Bob has lost a close relation to Red John, and of why his ideas of revenge are supposedly similar to Janes.

Take note that while Jane is of course trying to extract information from exposed acquaintances of Red John, Kirkland cares nothing for that goal.
Quite the opposite: He is killing them before they can talk of such matters. In other words, he is not at all trying to find or kill Red John. It is a blatant lie, misleading both Jane and the audience from the fact that Kirkland is in fact the only proven serial killer among the suspects.
Apparently Jane bought the touching story of a man seeking bloody vengeance, as he tells Lisbon then and there, that Kirkland is no longer a RJ suspect.
(Of course, Jane may yet actually hold his doubts and be playing patiently for a call of RJs suspected bluffs, such as by consciously giving an unlikely suspect the public 'honor' of being declared RJ, thereby shaming RJ into action, once more.)

Also take note that the tool Kirkland is using as a finger clipper in that scene, is the same kind of tool Lorelei was holding and getting ready to use when RJ ordered her to take of two of Janes fingers.

[This is a simplified version of theory combo 11112]

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Theory #11456 • By Readnought
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Proposal:
Robert Kirkland got a major face change operation done
- sometime before Jane joined the CBI
(we see him with his familiar face at that time, in episode #100: Red Dawn)

That is why he's seeking out people who knew him before and asks them if they recognize his face, now that he's been moving around in public.
(If you look at season 2, episode 8, you will see Minelli go to meet what looks like agent Kirkland at the gates of the CBI parking lot, right after Minellis 'horse's assery' speech, once he's talked a bit with Lisbon. It is easy to overlook, and the blurred and distant scene is probably suggesting the level of cautious discretion with which Kirkland let his appearance be seen, back in those bygone days.)

Take note, that in spite of Kirklands claim to be searching for RJ, he never shows up at the CBI to interrogate Lorelei. He only showed up at the CBI when Lorelie was no longer there, and thus can't threaten to identify him as RJ. [except if she gets caught again, or talks] Only once she kills an old helper of RJ, he then gets personally involved in the manhunt for her.

[This is a simplified version of theory combo 11112]

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