Carl Kearney strangled his girlfriend, Patricia Best, at this home in Accokeek, Maryland, police said. (Mug shot: Prince George’s County Police Department; screenshot: WTTG)
By all accounts, Carl Kearney Jr., 43, was a beloved high school football coach in Georgia, but he is now accused of strangling his girlfriend, Patrina Best, 38.
The Prince George’s County Police Department in Maryland said that he walked into the Division V Clinton police station on Saturday and told officers he strangled Best that morning inside a home in the community of Accokeek on the 800 block of St. James Court.
Officers said they responded to the scene, finding her unresponsive. First responders pronounced her dead at the scene. Kearney allegedly said he strangled her during an argument.
In their statement online, police said the home belonged to Best, though a report from Washington, D.C., Fox affiliate WTTG reports that it is her parents’ home.
“Patrina was a constant source of joy and laughter in our lives,” Best’s family said in a statement to Washington, D.C., CBS affiliate WUSA. “She was guaranteed to be present for every birthday, holiday, and special occasion. She was also deeply compassionate and caring. A few years ago, she put her career on pause for several months to care for her ailing grandmother after she suffered a stroke. She was a wonderful person in every regard. She was the light of our lives, and we will miss her dearly for the rest of our days. It is with great sadness that we acknowledge her tragic death, but we are thankful for the positive impact she had on the world during her life.”
Relatives called her a “fun-loving, warmhearted person [who] made friends easily everywhere she went,” according to Washington, D.C., NBC affiliate WRC.
As for Kearney, he is now locked up on charges including first-degree murder and second-degree murder. The allegations shocked those at Spalding High School in Griffin, a city around 45 miles south of Atlanta. Students and players considered him a father figure, according to WRC.
There, he had led the football team to a 12-1 season last year and its first regional title in 20 years, according to Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB.
“When I first heard the news, I pretty much thought it was a joke,” former varsity football team manager Camri Johnson said.
“I was shocked, hurt and I was in disbelief,” the mother of a former player, Lariquia McCord, said.
She credited Kearney and his staff as her son finished high school on the honor roll and is in college right now, according to the WSB report.
This is not the first time, however, that Kearney was arrested for domestic abuse. He allegedly slapped his ex-wife in the face in a 2015 battery and obstruction case out of Florida, but the charges were dropped after investigators said she did not want to prosecute him, according to the outlet.
Officers ask that anyone with information on Best’s murder to speak to a homicide unit detective at 301-516-2512.
From cops:
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com, the “P3 Tips” mobile app (search “P3 Tips” in the Apple Store or Google Play to download the app onto your mobile device), or call 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). You can remain anonymous. Please refer to case number 24-0010020.
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