ACCOKEEK, MD — A Georgia high school football coach who police say admitted to strangling a woman to death in Maryland was indicted, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday.
The Prince George’s County (Maryland) Police Department previously said that Carl Kearney Jr., a 43-year-old from Griffin, confessed to killing 38-year-old Patrina Best of Accokeek in February.
Police said in the past that Best was Kearney’s girlfriend; however, her family has said Kearney was Best’s college friend who was helping her move.
Kearney was indicted on suspicion of murder and unauthorized removal of a motor vehicle, the AJC reported, citing court documents.
The coach told authorities after choking her, causing her to lose consciousness, Kearney smacked her in efforts to “bring her back,” the AJC reported.
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.
In a statement, the family described Best as “a constant source of joy and laughter in our lives.”
She was the daughter of a U.S. Navy chief petty officer and a Georgia Southern University graduate who worked as a travel nurse, specializing in the operating room.
“She was guaranteed to be present for every birthday, holiday and special occasion,” her family said in the statement. “She was the light of our lives, and we will miss her dearly for the rest of our days.”
Patch local editor Kristin Danley-Greiner contributed to this report.
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