The key to know maybe is this verse:
"Tyger, Tyger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?" (tiger, tiger 2 times and symmetry you can find in twins) Red Jhon is the twin brother (same voice) of Brett Partridge?
 

We know that Red John is very capable at creating fake or alternate identities. We've seen it. In the past he's used anagrams of 'Red John', or 'Jay Roth' where 'Roth' is a foreign word for Red. So, if Red John can create fake ID's, surely he can fake his own death, yes?

In episode 1 of Season 6, we see Lisbon follow the phone trace of Brett Partridge to an abandoned house. Upon entering, she finds Partridge bloodied and bound in a cupboard. After uttering the words 'tyger, tyger' he dies. Lisbon steps back, before being grabbed from behind by an unseen assailant. 

What would you do?

Imagine being Red John. You know Patrick's list, you know who he suspects, and you know you're on it. Surely the first thing you want to do is divert suspicion away from yourself. What better way than to 'die'? By taking yourself out of the game, you're forcing Patrick's hand.

I believe this is what Brett Partridge has done.

Brett Partridge IS Red John. Here's what happened....

An accomplice of his helped him by tying his hands together and covering him in blood to depict that Partridge had been attacked. While Partridge was bound and kept in the cupboard, his accomplice was hidden in the house, waiting for Lisbon. It was imperative that Lisbon saw Partridge 'die', or the whole ruse was for nothing. Once Partridge 'died', his accomplice grabbed Lisbon.  

At this point, Partridge would have come round, while his accomplice (presumably) drugged Lisbon. Partridge then would have killed the accomplice and used his blood to draw the face on Teresa. Being able to create IDs and modify records, Partridge may well have changed his DNA/dental information on record to match the accomplice who he killed. This way, once the body is taken away by the paramedics (which, by the way, you only see 2 paramedics wheel away a body in a body-bag, you never see who is in the bag) it can be identified as Brett Partridge.  Partridge escapes the house once he kills the accomplice.  Patrick would have been told by the hospital the body matched Partridge's DNA, and in turn he confirmed to Teresa that Partridge was dead. In closing, Partridge is now presumed dead, with the list down to 6.

The P.I., bugging the CBI office, and Kirkland

We know why Kirkland was after Red John. We don't know for sure if Red John killed Kirkland's brother, or if in some horrible (IMO) turn of events, his brother will turn out to be Red John (hopefully not).  I believe the 'Tyger, Tyger' group are working together to take down Red John themselves. They are using their professional positions to find Red John with no care for how they do it. I do not believe they are working FOR Red John, I believe they are working AGAINST Red John.  After Kirkland revealing to Jane why he was after Red John, and that he would stop at nothing to catch him, the 'Tyger, Tyger' group decided to put him down. This also leads to the Red John suspect list moving down to 5.  

The 'Tyger, Tyger' group know Jane is the only way they will catch Red John, which is why they've not killed him. The Private Investigator who bugged the CBI office was not in fact working for Red John, but when she was visited by her killer, she recognised him as the man who paid her to bug the CBI office. This was the 'Tyger, Tyger' group. Knowing that Patrick will never willingly tell anyone else anything about the Red John case, the group decide to bug his team to listen for any further developments.  Once Jane realised the office is bugged, the P.I. must be removed or she can identify to Patrick who it was who hired her.  It's worth remembering that upon finding the P.I., Patrick asks her 'who did this?', assuming it was Red John. She then tells him about the dots on the arm, which unwittingly puts Patrick on to the trail of the 'Tyger, Tyger' group.

While finally getting together the 5 final suspects, Patrick finds that 3 of them had the dots, thus connecting them. Here he will find out about the group, and realise none of them are Red John, although they have become murderers and criminals in their hunt for him.

In a nutshell.....

Partridge faked his death. He is alive, and he IS Red John. 'Brett Partridge' may not even be his real name, but he is Red John. He plants explosives at Jane's house in order to finally stop Jane and also remove the 5 suspects. With them all gone, Partridge would be free to kill again as often as he wanted, with no chance of being found out (as he's presumed dead).

Let's see how it all plays out.....

Even though I believe 100% that Red John is Brett Partridge, I suppose there would be a SLIGHT letdown in that I seen it coming even though I want to be right.

3 more episodes and Red John will be dead. Again I believe it is 100% Brett Partridge and I'd bet 5000.00 on it. He fits every clue including THE ONLY ONE that seems he wants to benFRIENDS with Jane.

Anyway, with Sopranos and Dexter letting everyone down, which suspect would let you down the least????

For me a SUPER TWIST could be quite fulfilling. Grace, Teresa, Rigsby, Mars, Mashburn could all make for a great plot twist, but all seem so unlikely.

If the "list" is true, Partridge, Kirkland, Stiles and McCallister could all be good, but REED, BERTRUM, and HAFFNER would be stupid in my opinion. Especially BERTRUM and reed.

So my question is. What ending/killer wouldn't SOPRANO it for you?

Official part 6, extending on Theory #8587 can be found on this link if you want to check it out:

http://www.whoisredjohn.com/See-a-theory-Red-John/9300

People people people. THERE IS NO WAY GALE BERTRUM IS RED JOHN. NO WAY!!!!!!

You really think they'd make that oaf Red John??? Get serious!!

Then you have these people saying "IMBD" lists only him and Reed I the episodes after red john.
DID YOU STOP TO THINK IT MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT THEY ARE IMPORTANT LAW OFFICIALS THAT ARE ABOUT TO BE EXPOSED CORRUPT???

Let's see. 5 guys in a room all possible red john suspects and the room blows up!!! I'm sure red john would blow up a room he's in!!

Okay, so here is my theory!
Just to be clear, I (like everyone else) don't know who RJ is, but I've been thinking about a few things.

1: The "Tyger, Tyger" -thing. This is a poem by William Blake, god knows what it means when they all say that, but I have noticed that Bertram quotes Blake in several episodes. Can't remember season or episode-numbers, but I've noticed it. If that's a clue that it IS him, or that it isn't, who knows.

2. Partridge. He's always seemed very suspicious, and his death made me even more convinced it might be him. What doesn't add up to me is that i've always pictured RJ to be older. In season 1, we find out that the cop who dies in the end (after trying to kill PJ) knew who RJ was since "he was a friend of his fathers". That cop must have been atleast 25, so RJ should be 50 or so. Of course, his father could have befriended a younger man, but if i don't remember it wrong his father and RJ had known eachother for "a long time" and been in prison together?

3. Haffner. The way he reacts when he speaks to Lisbon in the coffee shop made me think it's not him. RJ is such a smart, "chilly" serial killer, it doesn't seem to be his "style" to just deny he is RJ, and he says to Lisbon "will you stop thinking it's me if i come" etc.

4. Kirkland. He is obviously a crazy, crazy man. I, like everybody else, have been thinking about the theory about his brother - does he have something to do with RJ? IS he RJ? And did Kirkland die for real? We still haven't seen any bodies...

I can't wait to find out who it is, just hope I'm not disappointed! The worst would be if RJ isn't a real person but just a conspiracy, that'd just SUCK.

This is my thought process:


I’ve held back from sharing any theories for a long while, but my confidence has firmed since reading the US TV Guide feature review (of episodes 7 and 8) , which confirmed (as much as anything can be) two “facts” neither of which I’d have believed before reading it.

1. Red John really is one of the seven on the list.
2. RJ headed the TT organisation.

The writer of the article interviewed and quoted the actor playing RJ so obviously knows more than we do, and the article states both of the above as fact, not suggestion and not with any vagueness to it. So the above points would either be true, or would need to be intentionally false, with the author’s knowledge (which is unlikely). 


Coupling with the above, I’ve made some assumptions:

1. All candidates cast into suspicion via the pathetically obvious phobia clues will not be red john. It would be below the show for this “clue” to be attached to the person who ends up being Red John. This is the most important plot resolution of the series and will ultimately define how its remembered. I’m counting on the writers to know using this as “ammo” to point to the real RJ would cement the show as mediocre and unworthy of us ever having watched it. This eliminates Haffner, Smith and McAllister.

2. Bret Stiles comment to Patrick Jane: “Trust me Patrick. I know so much more than you or Red John could ever imagine” is genuine. Stiles regards both Jane and Red John as beneath him and is not RJ. He knows RJ, and is probably tied to him in some way, but he’s not the man. (He would have been great though)

3. In hearing Janes plot in 6x06 Bertram’s first instinct is to make a call to share his information. If RJ is the leader of this group (as confirmed), then he is the likely recipient of the call. This rules Bertram out. 


So far this rules out all 5 in the room in 6x06. I don’t think any of them is RJ and to be honest I can’t think of a way any of the 5 could be justified as RJ that wouldn’t be a weak plotline. 


This leaves the two most unlikely suspects on the list. The dead guys, Partridge and Kirkland(s). 

Michael Kirkland could be RJ. It could be that half the time we see Bob on camera it was really Michael. Or its possible we’ve seen Michael once or even never, and that he shook hands with Patrick a long time ago in the Carnival days rather than on camera. I can see a few holes in the Kirkland theory, and a degree of lameness about the twin plotline.

E.G I don’t believe both Kirklands were both roaming around CBI offices interacting with people, all the while with BK looking for MK. My gut feel is Kirkland2 is either dead (a total red herring), or will be part of the final plot as RJ’s assistant, but not actually the main man. He could have been the guy in 6x01 who drew the smiley face on Lisbon.
I consider him the second most likely on the list. 

Lastly theres Partridge.
He’s someone I didn’t want to believe as RJ mainly because I couldn’t think of a way past the corny “I’m not really dead” storyline that wouldn’t disappoint me greatly, and because I disagreed with a lot of the rationale others used to suspect him. But if Partridge is RJ, and (as confirmed above) Red John is the head of TygerTyger, and we saw even the random prison guard willing to partake in a TT cover up, the chance that this death “stunt” could somehow get past everyone (except Jane) increases.  And I think it becomes further of a possibility if Patrick Jane already knows Partridge is the man. This line of thought is not rock solid, but it would be fairly consistent with the show’s modus operandi for PJ to know who the bad guy is early in the piece, and for everything he does afterwards to be an elaborate misdirection to lure the real killer out.  


I’m not that happy with this if it were right (I prefer RJ to emerge as an unknown from the shadows) but it would be neat enough and somewhat satisfying, and a lot better than him being any of the 4 live guys on the list who aren’t Stiles. And it being him would lead me to re-watch the show from the start knowing who RJ is.


Some loose ends I’m still pondering:
1. How did RJ get the 7 names?
2. Why would Kirkland kill Jason Lennon? If its Bob why isn’t he asking more questions, and whats with him talking as if he is being a friend. If its actually Michael why would he care if Lennon recognised him and he was already going to kill him?
3. Why Hightower?
4. Will the phobia clue be a complete red herring (as it has been so far), or will it actually play a key role in the way Jane eventually cleverly traps and beats Red John?

Thanks for reading! :)