A disgraced Alabama priest who fled to Italy with a teenage girl he allegedly groomed is back in the U.S. but will not face charges.
Alex Crow disappeared with the 18-year-old to Rome in July, sparking a huge manhunt.
The fired Catholic priest allegedly met the girl when she was a 17-year-old student at McGill-Toolen High School in Mobile.
Police discovered love notes and other letters showing that Crow, who claims he was exorcised as a child, had told his lover that Jesus had told him to go with her.
Now the Mobile County Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed that both have returned to the US, but said it will not file charges after the girl “refused to answer questions” about the disappearance.
Fired priest Alex Crow has since returned to the US after disappearing to Italy with an 18-year-old girl he was allegedly grooming, but no charges will be filed
The Mobile District Attorney’s Office confirmed it will not be filing charges against the 30-year-old after his lover refused to answer questions about their relationship
The prosecutor interviewed thirty witnesses and examined thousands of documents, including this love letter from the priest to the girl sent on Valentine’s Day, but found no evidence of criminality
The letter was sent on Valentine’s Day of this year and was sent when the girl was a senior at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School. She was reportedly 17 at the time
A statement from the office explained how prosecutors interviewed 30 witnesses and reviewed “thousands of pages of documents” provided by the archdiocese but declined to bring charges because of the “private relationship between two now adult people.”
The statement reported by WKRG said, “When the young lady and the priest returned, we summoned the young lady to meet our office to determine what had happened and whether there was any criminal action.
“She appeared to be in apparently good health and said she is safe.
“However, she brought an attorney with her to the meeting, and together they declined to answer questions about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance in July, or any other questions.
“Without being able to speak to the young lady about these events, we do not have sufficient admissible evidence at this time to charge a crime.” Therefore, this investigation is currently closed.”
Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Mobile said it is “relieved” to hear the couple has returned after Crow “left” his parish.
Church bosses said they found out about his return through the media because the disgraced priest had not been in contact with them since his suspension.
“While Crow’s conduct is outrageous, the Archdiocese does not have any information indicating that Crow committed a crime,” the statement said.
Crow was suspended from the ministry in July after fleeing to Italy with the girl, who was 17 when the alleged grooming began
The Archdiocese of Mobile labeled the former priest’s behavior “outrageous,” but accepted the prosecutor’s closure of the investigation
“To the extent that law enforcement continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding Crow’s conduct, the Archdiocese will continue to cooperate fully. I
“As law enforcement concludes their investigation into Crow, the Archdiocese thanks them for their thorough and thoughtful attention to this case.
“Crow’s sudden departure caused scandal, pain and confusion within the archdiocese. We continue to pray for God’s grace to bring healing to everyone in this situation.”
Police were alerted to the potentially inappropriate relationship over the summer and discovered a love letter between the priest and the teen from Valentine’s Day, when she was still in high school.
The teen, who has not yet been identified, graduated last May as part of the class of 2023.
In the letter he suggests that he loves her and suggests that the two are ‘married’.
“First of all, I love you, and I thank Jesus for you every day,” he wrote. “You have made my life astronomically more complicated and incredibly better at the same time. You are his gift to me.”
Crow went on to write about his relationship with the teen before they started dating, calling himself a “father” tasked with protecting her.
Crow, who claimed to have been exorcised as a child, is said to have ‘restricted’ the girl’s contact with the outside world while she was in Rome.
The Archdiocese of Mobile fired Crow (pictured in October 2020) in July after he reportedly left his post at Corpus Christi Catholic Church
At one point he writes, “You are mine – no one else’s, and I will always be a father to you until I die.”
A subsequent passage suggests that the couple married at some point.
It reads: ‘Now we are in love and married! I’ve never been in love before (and I’ve never been married, of course!), and I’ve never felt the feelings I have for you for anyone in my entire life.
“I promise to love you the best I can every day.”
The note was released by Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch, who alleged that Crow groomed several young girls in addition to the 18-year-old.
The letter continued: ‘I’m sorry I can’t give you a “normal” Valentine’s Day this year. I wanted to do nothing more than buy you flowers, but for fear of scandal I couldn’t.
“I almost stole something from the statue of Mary, but there were too many people around,” he admits.
It ends with a passage that makes it clear that the couple was already planning their foreign excursion at that time.
The defrocked clergy member also attended Sant’Anselmo in Rome, Italy, where he earned a Bachelor of Sacred Theology and studied demons and exorcisms.
Crow was a priest at Corpus Christi Catholic Church (pictured) in Mobile, Alabama
“I know you want to make out, so I’ll wrap this up. When we are together, with our family in Italy (!!!), we will experience so many wonderful and normal Valentine’s Days, but for now: Happy Valentine’s Day.
“You are the most beautiful girl who ever lived, and I will always tell you that. You are perfect and precious and, next to Jesus, the most beautiful thing I have ever seen or held in my hands.
“I will always love you, (redacted).”
In another letter to an unknown man named Joshua, Crow explains that he believes Jesus told him to leave Mobile with the girl.
‘It will be difficult for you to understand what I am doing, but don’t worry. One day it will all make sense,” the letter begins.
Crow, who was a musician before taking his post at the Corpus Christi Catholic Church, continues: “Jesus has told me that He wants me to leave, so I am not returning from this trip. I do this with a heavy heart.
“It’s hard to suddenly leave everything behind, but this is what He demands and I can’t deny Him.”
He claimed he was not forsaking the priesthood, but admitted, “We know what this looks like, but we do what we’re told.”
‘Heartthrob priest’ Alex Crow pictured from his Roman collar in a photo posted online
Crow was a former rock musician whose good looks have partly drawn attention to the case, with many calling him a “heartthrob.”
The dismissed clergy member previously attended Sant’Anselmo in Rome, Italy, where he earned a Bachelor of Sacred Theology and studied demons and exorcisms.
The couple’s return comes after the lawyer for the girl’s family claimed Crow cut off her contact with them while she was in Rome.
The lawyer, Christine Hernandez, said he “restricted” the girl’s communications with the outside world.
She also said other parents reported disturbing cases involving Crow and their children on school and church trips, including claims that he paid some students to attend his confessions, where they shared details of their sins with him.