Now many will criticize this theory and while i can understand the skepticism, as well as the doubts in the logic i will use, just bear with me and in the end honestly tell me this is not possible.
Patrick Jane's is the one and original Red John.
In the pilot episode, Jane was on television claiming with a smirk that R.J is a sad, lonely little man and in reality Jane is the one and the same. He killed his wife because she figured out he was behind the recent killings of the 8 women and in the adrenaline rush he killed his daughter. His only way out is to portray another of Red John killings.
Television show or not, police do not use a television psychic to find serial killers so i assume Jane made himself part of the investigation by offering his services and that's how he prevented himself from ever getting caught. However, the traumatic expierence of it all caused a severe mental breakdown or possibly a coma in which Jane remains in today.
The character's we see in the show are likely members of the audience during his shows, medical personnel when he was found, as well as reporters, detectives etc during the R.J investigation.
Jane paints this RED JOHN villain as some unknown person whom while he claims to hate and want to kill him, is amused and fascinated at the same time. I know if someone killed my wife, i would never smile and laugh at anything the man that killed her did.
It's funny how when all the people associated with Red John begin to tell Jane about R.J they end up dieing, decide not to tell him, or give him a half-baked clue which he takes off and running with (lorelei in season 5).
Ever notice how many near-death expierences Jane has yet never gets killed or maimed? Sure he has been shot, went blind for a day, survived an explosion but a trained homeland security agent gets put down like a dog?
Also, every time Jane gets closer or starts to delve into too many consequitive cases not involving R.J , the killer himself finds away to attract Jane's focus ?
I would like to point out his unnatural ability to manipulate people into doing what he wants (a power claimed to be possessed by R.J as well)
He wears the same outfits, and for most of the show he would be seen going home and sleeping in the very room his wife and child were murdered.
Jane wins 300,000 dollars at a casino and just gives it away? The man who was once so money hungry he would lie to clients and scam them for money?
I think there is a chance at the end of the season that he could possibly wake up and confess to killing those women.
Not likely the true outcome but hey the identity gets revealed this sunday , might as well have fun with it.
