GA Football Coach Strangles Woman To Death In MD: Police

ACCOKEEK, MD — A Georgia high school football coach who confessed to strangling a woman to death at her Maryland home is now facing murder charges, police said.

The Prince George’s County (Maryland) Police Department said Sunday that Carl Kearney Jr., a 43-year-old from Griffin, admitted on Saturday to killing 38-year-old Patrina Best of Accokeek.

Police said Best was Kearney's girlfriend; however, her family has said Kearney was Best's college friend who was helping her move.

Police said Kearney, Spalding High School's varsity head football coach, walked into the Division 5 Clinton police station around 9:15 a.m. to tell officers he had strangled Best earlier that morning in the 800 block of St. James Court.

Officers went to conduct a welfare check and found Best unresponsive, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Fox 5 Atlanta reported Kearney attempted slapping Best to "bring her back" before leaving the scene.

"During an interview with Homicide Unit detectives, Kearney confessed to strangling the victim during an argument," police said Sunday.

Kearney was charged on suspicion of first- and second-degree murder and other charges, police said, adding Kearney is in the custody of the Department of Corrections.

Fox 5 reported Kearney is a Griffin native who attended Griffin High School. Before heading to Spalding in 2020, he was the coach for Griffin.

According to a list of historical players for the New York Jets, Kearney previously made the team's practice squad but did not make the Jets' active roster. In 2004, he was a wide receiver for Georgia Southern University.

A mother of one of Kearney's former players told Fox 5 she was stunned to learn of the news about him.

"Hurt. Shocked," Lariquia McCord told the media outlet. "It was like disbelief because I didn't want to believe that what they was saying was true. It hits hard. It takes your breath."

The Griffin-Spalding County School System did not release a statement as of Tuesday morning. The school system is currently closed for winter break.