Spoiler alert ! To the people that have not watched the latest episode and last of season 5.
(I STILL DONT HAVE A THEORY FOR WHO IS RED JOHN YET I PICKED A RANDOM CHARACTER)

- To the point :

In this episode (5-22) it is revealed Jane has shortened the list to 7 final suspects. In the video tape he is given by a Red John's accomplice, it shows Lorelie Martins guessing the names he has on his list even before he killed Lorelei. Lorelei died in episode S6-16 while the information Jane has gathered about who is Red John is stolen by Bob Kirkland which at the end proves out to be a clever mislead created by Jane after we see that a toothpick was left at the door and when Jane saw it out of place he smiled. This means Kirkland did not get the information for Red John. This means RJ used another way to figure out Jane's list. 

- There are a list of plausible scenarios at this point.

1. Jane is lying to Lisbon about his list for some reason. Unlikely though.
2. Red John knew the final names Jane would come upto after Lorelei told him he shook hands with him. Maybe.
3. Or it is indeed what it looks like, the list is real and all but the way Red John found the names that would be on Jane's list before he killed Lorelei is still unknown. I will look more into this and update you. Highly Plausible and maybe more will be revealed about the way RJ found Jane's list in the next season which may be the last one.

Basically the story is getting very cryptic since we are getting close the unveiling of the true identity of Red John, i don't think the writer would include easy to see clues about who RJ really is until the end of the series to keep the suspense.

Red John 7 List of Suspects:
Bret Stiles  --RED HERRRING
Gale Bertram -- VERY POSSIBLE
Ray Haffner ---POSSIBLE
Reede Smith --- POSSIBLE
Robert Kirkland --- TOO OBVIOUS SO NOPE
Sheriff Thomas McAllister ---CAN SOMEONE ENLIGHTEN ME WHO IS HE which episode is he from?
Brett Partridge --- VERY POSSIBLE

My top two contenders are Brett Partridge and Gale Bertram and yet both are only possible because of being at the right place every wrong time. Seriously now that I think about it, Brett Patridge might be a little too obvious as well its as if they are rewarding long time followers of the show more than placing actual red john clues so I'm going to go back to Gale. 

Why? Gale Bertnam has the means to always be one step of Jane and Lisbon's team because duh he's the boss. I just cannot get over the fact that he  also once recited William Blake's poem that is by NO MERE COINCIDENCE, and I just can visualize him having the means to contact Kirkland from Homeland Security more so than Brett. Thus having Jane's seven suspect in the first place to send that creepy video. 

(Continue reading to see why I select Brett though) 

Kirkland is definitely a HELPER/FRIEND of rj whether intentionally or not thus explaining the Lorelai Martins fake corpse thingy. I mean if he turns out to be rj I would feel kinda of cheated for having speculate so much only when the answer is like just him. Heller won't want to take the audience on a joyride I hope. 

Brett Stiles is only possible for being rj because of the fact that its played by Malcom hahaaha and I don't think so. However, I look forward to his presence each time because he is just so enjoyable to watch :)

Ray Haffner seems like a possible suspect because he is just so annoying haha but I think that his presence in that main episode was more of to show the Lisbon's team dynamics and cooperation (one of my fav!) rather than being a redjohn episode.

I remembered someone describing him of somewhat like a surveillance kind of person and while this matches the personality of RJ, there is still too little evidence for us to exactly say why. 

Reede Smith hard to tell as well due to the lack of evidence :( thus more likely and unlikely at the same time.  

HOWEVER, while logically it seems as if Bertnam is the man, I select Brett because I WANT him to be RJ and I am sure many people here would agree. Thus making his character even more like a sociopath because he really did put on a mask to behave stupidly each time in front of Jane. 

The director might consider taking the popular choice ;) plus he's been with us since we first met Jane. 

On a separate note, please comment on what you think of the season finale!! I love it! Confirmed my suspicion of four out of seven that I suspected with the exception of the Sheriff and Reede Smith. People who thought Jane is RJ can just stop watching the show muahahaha. 

And the Jisbon relationship is really progressing! Lisbon didnt even pretend to deny her infatuation hehe. Rigsby and Van Pelt are also back together love Cho's expression when he mentioned it coolly to Rigsby. :D Feel free to add friendly and constructive comments! 

Red John 7 List of Suspects:
Bret Stiles
Gale Bertram
Ray Haffner
Reede Smith
Robert Kirkland
Sheriff Thomas McAllister
Brett Partridge

Red John Clues:
Red John is most likely a man
He appears to be a Caucasian, and is a white person as described by Haley
Red John has an average height: Rosalind described him as "just under 6 feet tall"
Red John has short straight hair (as described by Rosalind Harker)
Red John either has or puts on an odd, high pitched and soft voice
Red John should be older than 30 years (since his murders date back to the 90's)

Red John has a short straight hair, that means that Gale Bertram is not red john.He does not have short straight hair.

Red John has an average height, he should be just under 6 feet tall. Ray Haffner and Reede Smith is too tall. Haffner is 6ft1 and Reede Smith is 6ft2.

Now we are left with Stiles,Kirkland,McAllister and Partridge.

Red John has odd, high pitched and soft voice. Brett Stiles and Sheriff McAllister doesnt have soft voice.

With proven facts,we are left with Brett Partridge and Robert Kirkland.

Im going to use common sense and facts from Season 5 finale.

On the Season 5 finale, Jane watch a CD about Lorelei sending a message from Red John. Red John knows that Jane list will be narrowed down to 7.So we can assume that Red John knows Jane's progression way before Kirkland ask someone to break in Jane's room. If Kirkland is Red John, that means that he already knows about Jane's progress on finding Red John. If he already knows that, why would he ask someone to break in Jane's room? Like other theories, I dont rule him out just because he is too obvious. I use facts and common sense.

Red John is Brett Partridge.

Things that people say about Partridge that is not true:
He is too young to be Red John
The actor who plays Red John is 44 years old. How can you guys just assume that he is too young?
You can tell that he is too young by just looking at him? Come on, we need facts and confirmed evidence, not assumption.
He is too silly and foolish to be Red John
Another assumption made by people who cant accept the fact that Brett Partridge is Red John. Using common sense again, if he is foolish and silly, how can he be Forensic Expert.
He did not have resources to be Red John
How do people know that he does not have the resources? Can it be proven, is there any real evidence that shows he does not have the resource to be Red John. Until proven otherwise, we cant just assume he did not have the resources.
He is not manipulative enough to be Red John
He is already trying to manipulate Patrick Jane by playing with his mind on Red John crime scenes. The first Red John crime scene, he tries to prove to Jane that it is Red John who killed the woman. The truth is it is not Red John. On the Season 5 finale, when it is really Red John, he try to prove to Jane that it isnt Red John. He tries to mess with Jane's mind just like Red John.

Bruno Heller says that we might have saw Red John before Season 3. He also says that when we find out who Red John is, we will be disappointed.

We have seen Partridge since the first episode and we will definitely be disappointed if it was him because he is the most popular Red John suspect.

For those who still think that Patrick Jane is Red John. You must accept the truth that he would never be Red John. Bruno Heller says that it would be like cheating his audience.

He also says that there would be no more twist and turns in the storyline. There will only be facts. If Red John is not one of the 7 suspects, that would be a twist. So we know that Red John must be one of the 7 suspects. I have used all evidences and facts to get Red John.

If you want to debate about Red John is not Brett Partridge, feel free to write on comments.

Personally I was disappointed with the list of suspects. The 2 people that I would actually want to be Red John on that list are Brett Partridge and Ray Haffner, but I want Brett to be red John the most from that list so I am accusing him.

Just started watching the show several episodes ago. I have never seen BP until tonight but I just think he is RJ. Just one opinion though. I do however reading everyone's posts.

By the end of The Mentalist's Season 5 finale, viewers will finally know Red John's real name.

On Sunday's episode (10/9c, CBS), Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) narrows down his list of suspects to seven people. And despite the twists and tricks of the past (remember Bradley Whitford as Red John?), creator and executive producer Bruno Heller insists that one of the names on Jane's list is indeed his serial-killing nemesis.

"The cards are up on the table and they're the real cards," Heller tells TVGuide.com. "There is no sort of double twist. There's no more messing around.We've been through all the twists and turns of plot, and we're now getting to the truth. Only the truth gets revealed from now on in."

So, how well do we know the seven possible suspects? "You will recognize some of the names," Heller says. "Some will be obscure, some will be very well-known. But they're all legitimate suspects, and next season we will have to work out which one is the real guy. But under a great deal of pressure, that will be revealed at the end of this episode."

Indeed, just as Jane thinks he's closing in, Red John strikes out against someone from Jane's past. And the move is baffling to Jane. "It's someone Red John couldn't possibly know is connected to Jane," Heller says. "So, just when Jane thinks he is finally one step ahead, Red John is still on top. He doesn't turn things around to make Jane realize what he's learned is wrong, but it appears almost magical."


Speaking of magic, Emmanuelle Chriqui will reprise her role as Lorelei Martins, who was last seen dead at the hands of Red John. "It's not a flashback, a typo or a mystical thing," Heller says with a laugh. "You'll have to work out what other alternatives are left. It's a surprise, and it's a good one."

Also surprising: the shocking way in which the list of seven names is ultimately revealed. And while Red John won't be caught in the finale, Heller promises that the story is growing much closer to its conclusion.



"This is the final chase," Heller says. "We will know who Red John is and we will catch him next season. Everything that has happened over ther past five years will come to a head, and things will change drastically. This is the biggest finale in terms of game-changing and setting up for the last act of the Red John saga. This is as definitive and revolutionary as you can get."

I just wanted to say that given red john's technological prowess, isn't it possible that he could have recorded a longer video with Lorelei reading more names and then edited it or adjusted it based on Kirkland's research?  Timeline-wise, Kirkand's research is after Lorelei's death (therefore the video recording as well) but as he is obviously in the thick of this somehow (although I don't think he is RJ because he has had too much camera time recently) that research must have had significance to RJ, if not for the video then most likely to figure out how long it would take Patrick to come to the conclusion of 7 people based on where he was at the time of Kirkland's photographs, and then plan exactly when to murder Eileen.

Although I also think the Partridge theories are pretty good, and I could definitely see him being like BBC Sherlock's Jim Moriarty.