)I've previously made a theory about Ray Haffner as the culprit (http://www.whoisredjohn.com/See-a-theory-Red-John/2746#comments), however, I'm not certain about any of them, it's just theories. Ray Haffner as a persona seems more likely to be Red John, by obvious filtering reasons. He has short straight hair, seems the right age and does have a explicit connection to Vizualise
When it comes to Brett Partridge, who was my personal favorite suspect long before going on the internet discussing this phenonema, I have a few thoughts to list, which has probably already been posted by other much smarter observers than myself, but I feel like doing so anyway!
Age, appereance and behaviour
Brett Partridge definatly fits the age profile if we are to look at the actor Jack Plotnicks real age. He's turning 45 this year, which should suffice for the age required. His hair is short:ish, and straight:ish, sometimes. It could be the haircut as described by Rosalind, the blind woman. His length is pretty much spot on for her description aswell. As it comes to general behaviour around the crime scene, he shifts from being rather spazzy in the first two sightings, to being a comedian and in the later rather submissive towards PJ. The first time I saw this show, as you remember in the first episode BP was presented on the first crime scene which was a fake RJ case with Linus Wagner as the real culprit. His behaviour here made me react strangely, the way he hits the floor with the five iron golf club and the 'spooky' music starts. Obviously this is not really a clue but a gut feeling I've had for many years :P His voice is also oddly similar to Red Johns. Him and Kirkland are the only ones with a high pitched and soft voice so far. It's also been posted that his finger and shoe size is similar to Red Johns, but I've not personally paid any attention to that detail itself.
Detailed clues
1) As for detailed clues, there are a few. Let me start with a picture - http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121009222825/thementalist/images/1/15/Vlcsnap-2012-10-09-23h....... - If the link doesn't work - simply google Janet Peak Brett Partridge and look at the snapshot where Red John guts Janet Peak. The nose and mouth are very similar to Brett Partridges.
2) In the 15th episode of season 5, "Red Lacquer Nail Polish", Partridge is at the crime scene speaking with Jane and Cho and making jokes about internal combustion, Jane walks off to a small table where there are 17 books (7 of them by the same writer, might mean something as red john is 7 letters, far-fetched though) and two Partridges, yea, the bird.
3) If we continue on the path of Brett's surname; Partridge is also a bird of some sort, a bird depicted by William Blake in a painting called 'A Brace of Partridge'. A picture can be found here: http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/William-Blake/A-Brace-Of-Partridge.html
William Blake is the writer of the poem' The Tyger' which can be found recited by Red John in the season 2 finale, by the red john accomplice who got burned alive and by Gale Bertram who said he heard it from a friend. Not sure how Bertram is friends with Partridge, but it's a thought. You also can't really ignore the Partridge trail.
4) Even if you consider this new list which is in fact 'somehow confirmed' by Heller (http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/05/06/mentalist-finale-season-6-red-john-list/), as fake on purpose by Jane, Partridges name is also in Janes previous book of names. Here's a picture of the book and Janes finger over Partridges name - http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121126092820/thementalist/images/6/6a/Tumblr_me32umpZrn1rgjl.... this can hardly be considered hard evidence, but might be a clue put in on purpose.
5) Partridge has a rather nice access point to most CBI cases, and according to Jane, if we are going to believe the list, he's one of the seven who's been able to be at all the crime scenes listed.
6) This is a weak point, I admit, but Heller has been kind to show us Red Johns hands once or twice, and we can see he wears a ring. In every scene Partridge has been in so far, if I'm not mistaken, he's had forensic gloves on him. This could be a hidden clue, but yeah, weak as shit.
7) He seems to be a pretty cocky guy, playing on his wit and balling expertise, but he's also really submissive to PJ whenever Jane says something. This in addition to the fact he's been wrong, almost seems deliberate from his side, about every Red John crime scene, makes me think he's trying to play with PJ even on the scenes.
Confusion points
There are a few trails which have gone cold or just doesn't add up.
1) Vizualise and the barn. Partridge hasn't so far been shown to have any releveance to the barn murders or vizualise at the time, even if he is of the proper age (if we look at the actor) to have been the one who painted the smiley face on the barn wall in 1988. He would've been exactly 20 years of age and it's described by the priest in that episode that a 'kid did that'. In my eyes the definition of a kid for a man that age would be about 16-22. So, Partridge fits the age description perfectly of RJ whereas many older guys on the list don't. However, Haffner has a explicit connection to Vizualise whereas Partridge does not.
2) There's been plenty of talk about Janes carny life and loads of references there. I have a real feeling that Red John has to have been related to his earlier life, otherwise how did this whole mindgame in the season 5 finale pan out? How would Red John know his memories? The only two solutions I can think of is that Partridge or whomever is RJ was in PJs youth and perhaps participated in the carny. Another off-scene solution would be if RJ hypnotized PJ into telling him these memories, perhaps at the mental asylum.
3) Waldo - Heller said we should look for RJ as Waldo. Waldo does not speak and pretends to be witty. But yeah, this is a matter of definition I suppose.
In conclusion I think that if there's one of those 7 names on the list, it's probably Partridge, if they can show a Vizualise connection. There's a lot of things pointing towards him and he's also been in the series since the very start, which makes more sense than for an example Haffner to be the big antagonist.
Sorry if it's annoying to read my english, not my native language. Hope these collected points made sense :P
