Georgia High School Football Coach Walks Into Maryland Police Station, Admits He Killed His Girlfriend: Police

A high school football coach in Georgia allegedly walked into a Maryland police station and admitted he killed his girlfriend during an argument, according to authorities.

Around 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 17, Carl Kearney Jr., 43, arrived at the police station in Prince George’s County and allegedly told police that he strangled his girlfriend during a fight, WJCL reported, citing police.

Officers located his girlfriend, 38-year-old Patrina Best, dead in a home.

Kearney was arrested and charged with first and second degree murder, according to authorities.

According to WJCL, Best was a native of Kingsland, Georgia, and she graduated from Georgia Southern University, where she was a member of the Swimming and Diving team.

Kearney is a teacher in the Griffin-Spalding County School System in Georgia and he was named head football coach at Spalding High School in 2020. In 2023, he was named Coach of the Year.

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The suspect was signed by the New York Jets as a wide receiver in 2004 and played in preseason games for two years, but he never played in regular season games.

The police investigation is ongoing.