Carl Kearney, Jr. charged with murdering girlfriend Patrina Best in Maryland home: police

ACCOKEEK, Md. - Carl Kearney, Jr., a high school football coach from Georgia, is facing murder charges after authorities say he admitted to strangling his girlfriend, Patrina Best, inside her Maryland home.

Police in Prince George’s County say 43-year-old Kearney of Griffin, a city of about 23,000 located 45 miles south of Atlanta, walked into a police station in Clinton, Maryland on Saturday around 9:20 a.m. and told officers he strangled Best inside of her Accokeek home earlier that morning.

Officers checked the residence in the 800 block of St. James Court where they found Best dead inside. Detectives say Kearney confessed to strangling Best during an argument.

READ MORE: Griffin Spalding High football coach arrested for murder of girlfriend in Maryland

He has been charged with first- and second-degree murder and other related charges. He remains in the custody of the Department of Corrections.

According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Kearney is the head coach of the Spalding High School varsity football team and Best was a graduate of Georgia Southern University. 

Our sister station reports Kearney was born and raised in Griffin and played for the high school team in the 90s before being hired as the head coach in 2020.

They say he was signed by the New York Jets as a wide receiver in 2004 but did not play that year.

The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at 301-516-2512.