Ray Haffner. 

In Red Barn, he shows up to try and give Lisbon a job- basically a dead giveaway that he wants to break up the Jane-Lisbon dream team. It's fairly obvious that he has a kind of fascination with Jane (he works with him in an earlier season) and has definitely shaken hands with him.

Add to that the fact that he's the right age, he was a member of Visualize at the right time and wouldn't admit to Lisbon whether he was on the Elliston Farm... yeah.

 Agent Gideon from Criminal Minds (season 1, episode 1) said about a killer:

"We've classified him [The Unsub] as an organized killer, careful. (...) He follows the news, has good hygiene. He's smart. Cause he's smart, the only physical evidence you'll find is what he wants you to find. (...) Murder gives him a sense of power. Organized killers have a fascination with law enforcement. They will inject themselves into the investigation. They will even come forward as witnesses to see just how much the police really know. That makes them feel powerful, in control. Which is why I also think... in fact, I know... you have already interviewed him."

The main suspects based on this criteria:

1. Robert Kirkland. He has an excessive interest in Red John and what CBI knows about him, without explaining how Red John's case involves Homeland Security.

2. Brett Partridge. He has an

immoderate
fascination
with brilliant murder case, including Red John's work, and he lacks of empathy. The murder by Red John's copycat, in the first episode Patridge appeared, didn't displease him because it was not a "cheap imitation of his work".

There's many small clues which suggest that one of this two could be Red John, most likely Kirkland and the other one as his accomplice and admire.

There is no one real Red John. It is a freaky political cabal. Red John is mythic he does not truly exist.

All and none. The top three suspects on this site are ludicrous. Not only for sake of the fictional show but for the reality of real-world dvd sales, buffoons. If Jane is John Dvd sales plummet. There IS NO "RED JOHN." Stiles points to it but everyone wants to believe it is a single man. If there is, the minute he claims to be, he will be killed and that is how the whole fuckin series will end. There is NO Red John except what the cabal has created. The whole "serial killer angle" is just a distraction. Red John is a political cabal.

I think RJ is Ellis Mars.  I *think* Ellis Mars was jealous of PJ (Jane) and wanted his life. 

Hello everyone!



Here is the thing: Red John is very simply Ray
Hefner. Why? Very simple. The theory is this: For who ever watched all 5
seasons (16 episodes in the fifth season) and have red Bruno Heller's clues held the
key that unlocks the obvious.



1. Trough the seasons we get to know facts: 



1.a. Red John killed
Jane's wife and daughter and killed the San Joaquin killer because of Jane's TV
appearance. That leads us to the fact that Red John watches TV on a daily basis.



1. B. We were led to think that Red John has a very
close friend in the FBI. He operates in the CBI and FBI with no problem staying
hidden behind other people - we all remember Rebecca - Bosco's secretary then
O'Loughlin, then the police officer that poisoned Rebecca etc. (here we have
to think about Heller's clue - sometimes if you want to hide
something, you have bring it out in
plane site)



1.c. In the 5. Season we get to know about the red
barn - Red John is or was a member of Visualise. 



1.d. Red John is ambidexter - With Rosalind Harker
he drinks tea with his left hand but slaughters people with right hand
(remember the girl in the - if there is something that I hate - cheap
imitations of my work. 



1.e. Red John goes by the name Roy Tagliaferro
with Rosalind Harker.



1.f. Red John shook hands with Jane and/or
probably tried to become his friend. Lorelai Martins tells us that in season 5.  



ENOUGH WITH THE DATA



Now we are getting to the closure:



Ray Hefner first appears in season4 episode 2 -
trying to become Jane's boss - and it is the first time we see someone
explicitly shake Jane’s hand and putting hand on Jane's shoulder trying to get
friendly right away (or is doing so because he know Jane so well). Jane never
likes strangers touching him anyhow and he ALWAYS shows
it - why not this time with a new and possibly fastidious boss??? After that
Jane gets a lot of attention by Ray - he wants to work with Jane as Lisbon did,
he attempts to turn Cho into a snitch so he could be prepared for Jane etc. Why
so much about Jane? Why? In the mean time we see Ray walking around the office,
making coffee for himself while talking to Van Pelt, having notebooks and files
in hands, drinking etc.!!! ALWAYS USING
BOTH HANDS EQUALLY!!! LOOK CLOSER!!! He never gives the impression that he is
there for the Job but looks like he is there for something else - compare him
with Lisbon - she always talks about the case and focuses on it involving Jane.
He thinks most of the time about Jane??? How to work with him etc.?? In the end
he falls for Jane's trick and Bertran sends him away but does not show any
direct anger or resentment towards Jane like other characters
that Jane messed with - Agent Gabe Mancini for example (Ivan Sergei). Why and
how does he stay so peaceful? At the beginning of the series we find out from
Lisbon that Ray is a former FBI agent and had some big results with spying
criminals, tracking them down using technology, cameras etc (this goes into the
fact of Red John being so well informed and watching television on an everyday
bases). Ray leaves the 4 season but then returns in the 5. season Red Barn
episode where we get to know that he is a Visualise member and has been that
for at least 20 years, we get the hint he was on the farm and he wants to get
Lisbon on his side. Why? Is he afraid they will catch him so he wants to
separate the team? Or does he want total control over Jane? While having lunch
he says to Lisbon that he now understands that closing cases for Jane is a game
etc. etc (watch the episode for further text) - so he has being studying Jane?
Why????? He could have taken Lorelai out of jail - because she was expecting
him not Jane? How come? How can he do that? Of course - he is the law! He does
not have a friend in the FBI - hi is his friend.



There you go - RED JOHN is RAY HEFNER!!!!!!!



See ya

Why Red John didn`t kill Jane ? I think because is someone who know him and cannot kill him ... i have many scenarios ... i think in the first time , the crimes was made by jane and his father ... and they kill someone from CBI ... maybe Virgil Minelli son / daughter , or someone else ... and He find that jane is the criminal and he revenge on jane`s family ... i don`t know for sure ... but i think Red John could be jane`s father or someone who find that jane is a serial criminal  , and with his new crimes want to make jane responsible because in the past he investigated jane`s murders ... another thing ... i think kirkland suspects jane to be red john ... because when they meet he said to Jane "You don`t know me ... but i know you "  . this is why they don t trust lisbon because they think she is jane accomplice