Aiexpress – Carl Kearney strangled his girlfriend, Patricia Best, at their house in Accokeek, Maryland, according to authorities.
Carl Kearney Jr., 43, was a popular high school football coach in Georgia, but he is now accused of killing his girlfriend, Patricia Best, 38.
According to the Prince George’s County Police Department in Maryland, he strolled into the Division V Clinton police station on Saturday and informed detectives that he strangled Best that morning inside a residence in the Accokeek neighborhood on the 800 block of St. James Court.
Officers reported that when they arrived at the scene, she was unresponsive. She was pronounced deceased by the first responders on the site. Kearney apparently claimed he strangled her during an argument.
Police indicated in an online statement that the residence belonged to Best, but Fox station WTTG in Washington, D.C., says that it is her parents’ home.
“Patrina was a constant source of joy and laughter in our lives,” Best’s family told Washington, D.C.-based CBS affiliate WUSA. “She promised to be there for every birthday, holiday, and special occasion. She was also very kind and caring. She took several months off from work a few years ago to care for her ailing grandma after she suffered a stroke. She was a beautiful person in many aspects. She was the light of our lives, and we will miss her forever. We mourn her tragic passing, but we are grateful for the tremendous impact she made on the world throughout her lifetime.”
According to Washington, D.C.-based NBC station WRC, her relatives described her as a “fun-loving, warmhearted person [who] made friends easily wherever she went.”
Kearney is currently incarcerated on counts of first- and second-degree murder. The charges startled the students at Spalding High School in Griffin, a city about 45 miles south of Atlanta. WRC reports that students and athletes thought of him as a father figure.
According to Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB, he led the football team to a 12-1 record last season and its first regional title in 20 years.
“When I first heard the news, I pretty much thought it was a joke,” said Camri Johnson, former varsity football team manager.
“I was shocked, hurt, and in disbelief,” the mother of a former player, Lariquia McCord, said.
According to the WSB article, she credited Kearney and his staff with her son graduating from high school on the honor roll and currently attending college.
This is not Kearney’s first arrest for domestic abuse. He allegedly slapped his ex-wife in the face in a 2015 violence and obstruction case in Florida, but the charges were dropped after detectives learned she did not want to pursue him, according to the site.
Officers ask that anybody with information on Best’s murder contact a homicide unit investigator 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.
