Was Thomas McAllister Red John?

The case for:
- He has been in the series since (nearly) the beginning
- His relationship with Jane has always had an undercurrent of distrust
- He was a leading member of the Blake Assoc.
- To have the 'bad guy' outted as a weakling who begs for his life makes a certain sense (like the Wizard of Oz when the curtain is drawn back to reveal the real wizard, or Rebecca De Winter) - the Red John we have believed in, is the Red John that Patrick has created for us
- Heller has mentioned in an interview that he only knew who Red John was in the last year(s) and so it makes sense that the ending is a little sloppy and ultimately disappointing


The case against:
- I am skeptical that McAllister has the power, intelligence, charm or charisma to manipulate so many people (including Patrick)
- There are too many unanswered questions (they've been listed on various theories, but my top ones are):
1. Where is Michael Kirkland?
2. Was it Michael or Robert Kirkland that killed Jason (it makes little sense for Robert to kill him, if he was hunting for RJ himself)
3. Was it Michael or Robert Kirkland that got shot in the back?
4. What was wrong with Lisbon's arm in s5?
5. Is Lisbon a member of the Blake Assoc (she did play poker with some high-ranking officials in s5)
6. Was it really Partridge in the final frame of s6 e8?

Either way:
Red John has achieved what he may have set out to achieve, he has made Patrick a murderer, first Timothy Carter now McAllister, to underline how similar he and Patrick actually are.

I would love to think this is part of a well thought out twisty-plot, and that it will unravel beautifully in the remaining episodes. I would especially like to think that we haven't been carrying on our own investigations, in our own homes, based on false clues.