Red John

Red John is the main villain in the tv show ''The Mentalist. ''He is the serial killer in the show that the CBI have been looking for, for years. The bloody smiley face is like his insignia showing the victim's families and friends that he was there. It is not known what he looks like in the show but the series is getting closer to revealing who it is.

History
The main character Patrick Jane chases him because he killed his wife and his daughter and believes he can help the CBI lead to his capture.

Fake Red John
In the final episode of Season 3, Red John was believed to be revealed. Jane met him in a food court, planning to find out if CBI director Gale Bertram is Red John's accomplice. However, it's revealed that the accomplice was Craig O'Loughlin. Jane asked Lisbon to phone the number that's seen in the contact list, cause it might be Red John's, then she should tell him what he said. While she does like she's told, Jane watches a man near to him who gets a call, says something and hangs up. Then Lisbon phones Jane, telling him Red John said the same thing. Jane takes a seat at the table of the man who might be Red John. The man, who's called Timothy Carter, says that he's Red John. He also tells Jane that he wants to quit killing and tells him to stop hunting him, instead he should enjoy life. When Red John wants to leave, Jane asks him how he knows that he's truely Red John. Carter describes how Jane's wife and daughter smelled, then he's shot by Jane. In the 2nd episode of Season 4, it's revealed that he was an imposter send by Red John, because Red John's blind girlfriend Rosalind Harker who only knows Red John as "Roy" says that he's not Roy.

Relationship to the San Joaquin Killer
Red John was once rivaled by another serial killer called the San Joaquin Killer. After James Panzer, the man who was behind the SJK, said that compared to the murders of the SJK, Red John's an amateur, he gets killed by Red John.