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“ | Do you know who I am? I know who you are. I've been waiting a long time for this. | „ |
~ Walsh, before killing the meth dealers and Jeffrey Heinz. |
“ | When I saw the sun come up this morning, I knew it was gonna be my last time... Mrs. Clark, I hope you're right. | „ |
~ Walsh before committing suicide. |
Clifford Walsh is an antagonist in the crime-drama TV series Criminal Minds. He is a vigilante spree killer who appears as the main antagonist of the Season 9 episode "The Road Home."
He is portrayed by Jon Gries, who also portrayed Roger Linus in Lost.
Biography[]
Clifford Walsh lived in Cleveland, Ohio, with his wife and son. While on a hiking trip, Clifford's son, Teddy planned to rob their house with a classmate named Howard Clark. That night, while Walsh was at work, Clark showed up to rob the house, but he was high on meth and tried to rape the mother. Teddy tried to fight Clark, but in the resulting struggle, Clark killed both Teddy and his mom. Clark fled but was arrested the next day and put on trial. At the trial, Clark's mother testified on behalf of her son and the District Attorney, Morton Heinz, was bribed to hold back evidence that would've put Clark away for good. As a result, Clark was given only 10 years in jail.
Distraught at the loss of his wife, Walsh started drinking, quit his job, sold his home, moved to Florida and began living on the streets. He counted the days till Clark's release in his journal, but three months before Clark was to be released, he was killed in a prison fight. With his chance for revenge lost, Walsh returned to Cleveland to kill himself.
In "The Road Home"[]
While sitting in his car near a park and planning to end his life, Walsh sees three gang members harassing two elderly men playing chess. He shoots two of the gang members, follows the one that got away to a gas station, and shoots him as well. Later, Walsh sees a man assault an old woman and steal her purse. Walsh follows the purse-snatcher and shoots him dead. The local police call in the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) to assist in the investigation. Meanwhile, Walsh, having found a reason to live in killing criminals, decides to buy more ammunition for his pistol.
The BAU interview witnesses who describe the killer and his vehicle. However, the description of the man is too broad, and some of the witnesses either didn't see anything or aren't talking. Walsh is driving through a neighborhood, when he sees a woman named Madison being harassed by her abusive ex-boyfriend. As she is being choked, Walsh gets the attention of the ex and shoots him, calmly leaving afterwards. When Madison is then questioned by BAU Agents Spencer Reid and Alex Blake, however, she refuses to help, as she views Walsh as a hero.
At a run down apartment building, a bunch of drug dealers are cooking meth, when Walsh knocks on the door. Dane Hendricks answers and Walsh asks if he remembers him. Dane doesn't, but Walsh remembers him as being a friend of Howard Clark. Walsh then pulls out his weapon and shoots everyone in the apartment. The BAU respond to the mass murder and are able to see Walsh's license plate in the security camera footage. Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia enhances the license plate and pulls the number, identifying the killer as Clifford Walsh. The BAU learn of Walsh's past and give the profile to a room of police officers. Meanwhile, now on a mission, Walsh abandons his vehicle and steals another.
He drives to Morton Heinz's house and knocks on the door. Unbeknownst to Walsh, Morton's brother Jeffrey answers the door and Walsh asks if he remembers him. Jeffrey doesn't, and Walsh says that he's been waiting a long time for this, before shooting Jeffrey and leaving. After the shooting, Walsh goes to a bar where he watches the news and ponders his next move. The bartender turns off the TV, complaining about the depressing news, and Walsh tells her that things won't change. A regular customer comes in and the bartender asks him about a problem that he's been having with the neighbor's dog defecating on his door mat. The customer says that he scooped up the dog poop and put it on the neighbors' welcome mat, claiming that it is the parents' fault, not their child's. Walsh overhears this and decides that he and Howard Clark's mother are to blame for what happened to his wife and son.
While the BAU are busy looking for Clark's accomplice, Walsh breaks into Mrs. Clark's house and holds her hostage. He talks with her about the tragedy, how she covered for her son, and how they are both to blame for their sons' actions. The BAU eventually figure out that Teddy was the accomplice and deduce that Walsh might go after Howard's mother. They get there before Walsh kills Mrs. Clark and tell him that the Heinz he killed was the wrong one, and that Jeffrey had a wife and two daughters. Unable to live with the revelation that he killed an innocent person, Walsh tells Mrs. Clark that he hopes she is right about being reunited with your loved ones after death, and commits suicide by shooting himself.
Quotes[]
“ | Forgive me, sweetheart. I tried to make it right. | „ |
~ Walsh's suicide note. |
“ | I'm gonna need a lot more than that. | „ |
~ Walsh buying bullets for his pistol. |
“ | Take your hand off her neck. | „ |
~ Walsh to Madison's abusive ex. |
“ | Things won't change. The world, there aren't enough bullets to make things right. | „ |
~ Walsh talking to a bartender. |
“ | Yes, ma'am. | „ |
~ Walsh to Mrs. Clark when she asks if she's gonna die. |
“ | Your son doesn't look like much of a killer there. | „ |
~ Walsh to Mrs. Clark while looking at a graduation photo of Howard Clark. |
“ | If I'd been a better dad and you'd been a better mom... It's too late for what ifs. | „ |
~ Walsh to Mrs. Clark. |
“ | I thought I knew my son, too. Emma tried to warn me, that he needed help... Small things... I didn't listen. | „ |
~ Walsh |
“ | Walsh: Mrs. Clark. Do you think we're reunited with loved ones after death? Mrs. Clark: Yes, I do. |
„ |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Walsh is inspired by multiple real-life and fictional murderers:
- Pedro Rodrigues Filho, a Brazilian serial/spree killer and vigilante motivated by avenging the murders of his mother and fiancé, putting heavy focus on his fsmily’s killers and the criminals they associated with.
- Joseph Christopher, a.k.a. “The .22 Caliber Killer”, a serial/spree killer responsible for killing men and boys in the the streets of New York state cities, including four in less than a day,
- Travis Bickle, the protagonistic villain of the film Taxi Driver, a vigilante spree killer pushed to the edge from his beliefs on high crime in the city.
- The deaths of Walsh’s wife and son are inspired by the Clutter family murders committed by Richard Hickock and Perry Edward Smith.
External Links[]
- Clifford Walsh at the Criminal Minds Wiki