it is basically clear that red John is Bret Stiles. and his acomplicce is Brett  Partdrigde. is it a coincidence that they both have the same name?

in episode 8 season 5, lorelei confirms to patrick that he has already met Red John, and that it is a wonder how they didnt become friends when they FIRST SHOOK HANDS. so patrick has met him. as to partdrigde, he is clearly someone important, like some sort of mole that stiles might have in the CBI. We already know Red John is powerful, so thats another insight for stiles, that claims tohave friends around the state. how did Bret Stiles managed to get Lorelei Martins out of prision. ¿ has he already met her? how come it becomes a homeland security matter? this are all questions that will lead us to red John.

I have no idea who Red John could be but here are some observations: In the final episode of season 2, we see the smiley face on the wall in Rosalind Harker's house. After carrying out a murder, Red John generally draws the face on the wall using his victim's blood. He didn't murder Rosalind Harker and as far as we know did not murder anyone in her house (unless I missed something!). If this is the case, whose blood did he use to draw the smiley on the wall? If Roy Tagliaferro (who may nor may not be a red herring!) stayed in the house on and off for five months, then his fingerprints and other DNA must be in the house and also on the mail box. We don't know if this was checked. If so, we would know if he worked for a government agency, CBI, FBI, etc. or not. In any event, after this RT's fingerprints at least would be on file. In seanson 4, episode 7, PJ set up Panzer to criticize RJ on TV knowing that RJ would seek revenge on Panzer and probably kill him. Why then, did the CBI not track Panzer to catch RJ? In the last episode of season 4, PJ is watching an animal documentary on TV in the motel room with Lorelei. At one stage, the lioness caught a zebra and Lorelei had to avert her eyes from the screen. Does it seem logical that someone who is too squeamish to watch an animal attack another on TV would be capable of trying to chop PJ's fingers off with a shears a day or two later? In another episode of season 4, they eliminated another murder suspect when it turned out he couldn't stand the sight of blood. The animal documentary (predator hunting prey) seems to be a recurring theme throughout the series. In the very first episode, PJ is watching a similar documentary in his hotel room. Also, Lisbon did not seem that scared on hearing the Red John wanted her dead. Even if she knew that PJ would not harm her, is it logical to believe that she would have taken the risk of going into the desert without adequate backup knowing that Red John would be there and wanted her dead? Would an experienced agent like Cho would have let her do this? A stickler for the rules such as Cho would have known that this would have been against procedures. In any other crime show, they would have been accompanied by a SWAT team, helicopters, cars, etc. Does this mean they knew it wasn't a real trap? Or was it a delusion/hallucination? Later on, when Lorelei is in the interrogation room, PJ goes over to her, puts his hands on her shoulders and kisses the top of her head. Apart from being a highly questionable gesture as Lorelei is now a suspect, would it be logical for PJ or any normal person to kiss somebody who has just tried to maim him (even if they had been in a relationship!). It seems to me that he either used this gesture to hypnotise her or to dehypnotise her if she had already been hypnotised. I believe he hypnotised her in the motel room to have her believe that she was working for RJ (PJ's smile as he closed the door when she left) so that PJ could have the CBI (for whatever reason!) think that she had lured him into the desert on behalf of RJ. However, the plan went wrong. Lisbon and her team got arrested and were delayed and Wainright got shot. PJ then had to dehypnotise Lorelei in the interrogation room so that she wouldn't talk.  Time and time again, completely logical procedures such as tracking and fingerprinting are omitted from investigations. If the writers left such glaring omissions in the scenario, then it was obviously done on purpose. Are we really watching a real murder investigation or is the investigation a metaphor for something else? It is also possible that PJ's couch represents a mental institution or a psychiatrist's couch and a certain amount of the story is happening in his head.  Assuming that they are really searching for a serial killer: I don't believe that Lorelei is RJ. I believe that she is a means to and end for PJ. However, it shows us the PJ is capable of using hypnosis or another type of manipulation to transform into a potential killer a person who would otherwise not be violent. If she could maim him then she could have also killed him. Given this, I believe that RJ could have been created/manipulated by PJ during his days as a psychic/hypnotist. Something went wrong and PJ does not know the identity of the killer/RJ. I believe that PJ is not RJ but PJ has something to hide. The CBI does not know this part and this is the reason that PJ wants to catch RJ himself so they won't find out the part PJ played. Maybe this is why the FBI are suspicious. I also believe that the Tyger Tyger poem as well as dealing with good and evil also deals with the predator/prey theme as in the documentaries. PJ started out as a tiger/predator/manipulating people (RJ?) (lambs) and is now a lamb/prey/manipulated by RJ. I think it is also certain that the writers would not run the risk of having the viewers become attached to any of the main cast members over several seasons and then reveal one of them to be a serial killer who murdered a child in cold blood. RJ is either a minor character or somebody we have not yet seen and could also be a woman.  Brett Stiles would seem to be the most likely suspect but I think that would be way too obvious. However I believe that he knows the identity of Red John and probably Kristina Frye also knows if she ever come out of the coma.

He is the most intelligent man after Jane and Im not sure the Jane could have possibly killed his own family!!!

I think Bret Stiles is Red John, or very close to him.

He is very interested in Patrick Jane's feelings and acts towards him, keeps talking about them. 

But the main thing is, we know Red John's associates are people that were hurt before. Lorelei's sister was killed by Red John, RJ got close to her using her weakness and loss. He shows them that he can help, gets close and earns their trust. As a matter of fact, RJ first creates that weakness to make a person suffer, then gets close.

I believe that Craig O'Laughlin's being killed by Grace Ven Pelt was a setup. RJ sent O'Laughlin to kill Hightower, but how could he make sure that O'Laughlin wouldn't be successful and he gets killed?

Remember that in the mall, when Patrick Jane took Gale Bertram, he mentioned about rope during the speech, and Patrick Jane figured out that the real suspect would be O'Laughlin. It was all a matter of timing. Patrick is a smart person, as we all know. RJ knew that when he heard the word rope, he would figure out that the associate was O'Laughlin. He called Lisbon, and they killed him. Perfect timing. Remember? "There are no coincidences."

To strengthen this theory, also look at this aspect. Patrick Jane gave everyone different room numbers, so that they would know the associate.  But he never thought of suspecting 2 associates. What if not only one, but two or more people were associates? Then both would give the information to Red John, and RJ would know that it was a trap. He indeed knew, because both O'Laughlin and Bertram told the info about Hightower to Red John. And he made a plan, the assassin would go to top room first, sit on bed and wait for the team to move. What kind of an assassin goes to a room to actually jump to the room below, but sits on the bed? None. It should be an in-out operation, very quick.

In the end, what is the gain? Bertram is not a suspect anymore. ( But he is an associate ). RJ sacrificed O'Laughlin, and made Grace Ven Pelt very vulnerable. The plan was that Patrick would call Lisbon, and Lisbon would kill him. But things got wrong and Grace Ven Pelt herself had to kill her lover, making herself way more weaker in the end. Way better outcome.

Remember in 4th season, Bret Stiles was trying to get closer to Ven Pelt when he was arrested for murder. First steps of the baby. We don't see personal lives of CBI members, so who knows if Bret Stiles become closer to Ven Pelt or not? Stiles was showing too much effort in trying to persuade Ven Pelt. She didn't buy it in the episode, but we don't know what happened later.

The whole act is like playing chess. RJ freed Bertram of suspicion, sacrificed O'Laughlin to win Ven Pelt in the end, as she is inside the team. Everything went according to plan. 

Remember, "There are no coincidences."

MY SUSPECT IN THE CASE RED JOHN: BRET STILES

1. He shoke hands with Patrick Jane
2. He has friends and connection in politics and police services
3. He has known that the FBI has infiltraded an spy in VISUALIZE (important fact!)
4. He managed to help Patrick to get Lorelei Martin out of jail
5. Similar character traits to Patrick Jane (as you can see in season 2 e 20, somewhere about 23:44)
6. He told people what they have to do and they follow his orders like a Red John (also in s 2, e 20, from minute 24 to 26)
7. Knows exactly the location of the (by Red John) abducted Christina Fry.
8. He drives black limousines same type (Season 2 ep. 20) than Red John used (season 4 ep. 24)
9. The "start a new life" that Lorelei Martin has told Patrick Jane sounds really like VISUALIZE (also in Season 4 ep. 24).
10. He finally has got enough power, enough money, enough criminal energy and knows Patrick Jane good enough to do what Red John is able to do.
11. Able to coordinate everything he wants to.

Who else fits better into the role of Red John and got enough means for doing it?

I am currently still catching up with the Mentalist and I'm watching season 5 episode 2 next. I agree with those who say Red John may have been written as one person in season 1 but that his story was changed as popularity grew.  This makes for a lot of loose ends on the show but I'm going to take another stab at this.

My main suspect at this stage is Bret Stiles.  He seems like a major person of interest as he is in the show time and again.  On the other hand I feel like he is too obvious.  The writers would like to shock the viewers eventually so why use Bret.  I can't decide whether to accuse him of being Red John. In one episode his tea cup is seen on his left, meaning he may drink tea like RJ, left handed. He is powerful, influencial, rich, and has a string of disciples who will do anything for him.  Thus he fits the bill.  PJ called him Red John and he says he knows RJ better than PJ knows RJ.

I want to look at some other things that are suspicious in my next post.

This is everyone Jane has shook hands with in season 1 which is the season Jane most likely shook hands with Red John.I have put the names of the people and then in brackets is the person who went to shake hands first because I thought there is more of a chance that Red John went to shake Jane's hand first.I put this under Bret Stiles because I think its him but he never shook Jane's hand so I have watched it over again.

-Van Pelt(Jane)                        1x01        
-Dr Wagner(Jane)                       1x01            JAIL
-Preciado(Jane)                        1x08      
-Ben Machado(Machado)                  1x09            JAIL
-Jared Renfrew(Jared)                  1x11            DEAD
-A.P Caid(Caid)                        1x13
-Heather(Jane)                         1x15            JAIL
-Victor Marquesa(Jane)                 1x15
-Dan Hollenbeck(Dan)                   1x16            DEAD
-Randall Faulk(Jane)                   1x17            JAIL
-Mitch Cavanaugh(Mitch)                1x19 
-Drake Plaskett(Drake)                 1x23

I don't know what you think but I don't think that any of them are Red John and Iam surprised that there isn't that many Jane has shook hands with that are not dead or in jail.