MOBILE (AL)
Daily Mirror [London, England]
August 14, 2023
By Yelena Mandenberg
In a video shot before the now-defrocked priest allegedly took a teen girl that he is accused of grooming and fled to Italy, he’s caught giving a creepy sermon that talks about ‘tyrant’ parents and offers helpful tips on ‘qualities to look for in a man’
A video has surfaced in the hunt for a 30-year-old priest that authorities allege groomed an 18-year-old woman before fleeing to Italy with her, where he talks about the travesty of having a ‘tyrant father’ and offers advice to the ‘young unmarried women’ listening.
Defrocked Father Alex Crow is alleged to have fled to Italy with an unidentified teen, 18, with the family and investigators afraid the young woman is in danger.
In the video posted on YouTube, the priest, who was only ordained two years prior, talks about how having a ‘tyrant for a father’ is one of the worst things growing up – but on the other hand, make a ‘home more heavenly than having a saint for a dad.’ Even he notices that this statement is an odd one to make in a room full of Catholic clergy.
He then goes on to try and save himself, saying he hopes the message resonates anyway, and then focuses his attention on the women in the audience. “I’d say the same thing to women who are here, who are younger, who aren’t married yet. I’m going to spell out some qualities you really want to look for in a man… otherwise, you’re going to have a hard time with that.”
The 30-year-old taught theology classes and also heard confessions during his time at the school where he himself was a graduate. An initial investigation reportedly turned up a love letter from father Alex Crow to his then underage student at McGill-Toolen high school, who has not been identified, officials claim.
Since then, some odd claims surround Crowe that authorities feel makes him a danger to the young woman. According to authorities, Crow has a fascination with exorcisms and may be trying to perform one on the teen, and he is generally considered an alleged ‘predator’ by the local police department.
Crow was once hailed as a ‘heartthrob’ online previously, performed as the frontman to a local rock band, and made local news when he was the subject of a ‘minor exorcism before abandoning his post at the Corpus Christi Catholic Church on the outskirts of the town. Now he’s allegedly on the lam with the teenager.
Crow once claimed he was the subject of a ‘minor exorcism’ and was obsessed with ‘demonology’ according to students and colleagues ( Image: St. Mary Parish)
The girl was a student at McGill-Toolen High School in Mobile, Alabama, where Crowe was a graduate himself. He then studied in Indiana and in Italy.
Crow would talk to classes about ‘demons and exorcisms’ according to one report. In lectures that have been posted online, Crow was caught on video saying some odd things about possession and supernatural encounters. “I grew up in a weird home, both familially, but also a lot of weird stuff happening in the house,” he said during a podcast appearance in July 2022.
He was the subject of an exorcism after complaining of ‘chest pains’ and ‘migraines,’ according to a former member of the church. Crow said he had a ‘negative reaction’ initially but that he ‘felt immediately better when the exorcism was over.’
Sheriff Burch said to NBC 15: “I believe there was some grooming that’s gone on, and you’ve got a much older adult interacting with teenage girls in an inappropriate way.” The police chief noted it was possible Crow could have been involved with more female students.
The woman’s parents have flown to Italy to beg their daughter to return home, but neither she nor Crow reportedly has any intention of doing so.
