Former Atlanta High School Football Coach Pleads Guilty to Murder in Shocking Maryland Case
Carl Kearney Jr., a former football coach at Spalding County High School in metro Atlanta, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of 38-year-old Patrina Best in Maryland. Kearney admitted to strangling Best during an argument in February 2024, and he could face up to 30 years in prison when sentenced in June. Best, a traveling nurse and member of a U.S. Navy family, was remembered by her family and prosecutors as a committed healer whose loss is deeply felt by her community.
March 21, 2025
