Question: who was red john in the tv series the mentalist
Answer: Thomas McAllister

title: Red John
text: gotten inside Jane's mind, although Red John doesn't deny being one of the seven men. In the season 6 episode "Red John", the eponymous serial killer's identity is revealed to be Thomas McAllister, the sheriff of Napa County, portrayed by Xander Berkeley. After unmasking himself to Patrick Jane, McAllister discloses that he is the founder and overall leader of the secret organization known as the . "TV Guide" included Red John in its 2013 list of "The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time". Patrick Jane relentlessly pursues Red John, and ultimately in season 5 narrows his list of suspects to