Georgia community struggles for answers after coach charged with murder

“This has affected a lot of people in our community — a lot of young people,” said Rev. Zachery Holmes, a member of the Griffin-Spalding County Board of Education.

Holmes, who organized the vigil, said Kearney’s arrest was another troubling blow in what has been a difficult time.

Last January, Spalding County, located an hour south of Atlanta with a population of roughly 67,000, was declared a federal disaster area after tornadoes touched down. In October, a 17-year-old was charged with murder after allegedly killing a classmate roughly a block away from where the Griffin High-Spalding High rivalry football game was played.

Many agreed Kearney was previously considered a positive influence. He graduated from Griffin High and played football at Georgia Southern and briefly with the New York Jets. He spent time as an assistant coach at Griffin High before becoming head coach at Spalding High in 2020. He led the Jaguars to a 12-1 record last season and was named Region 2 AAAA Coach of the Year.

Holmes called Kearney a father figure for many of his players. A school system employee, who asked not to be identified, said Kearney often provided rides home and meals for students.

“Everybody is in shock,” the employee went on to say. “It’s just kind of a numb feeling.”

Kearney, 43, is charged with first- and second-degree murder and two counts of assault in the Saturday death of Best. He walked into The Prince George’s County Police Department in Maryland and confessed to the killing. Responding officers found Best, 38, unresponsive. She died at the scene in her home in Accokeek, Maryland.

Police said Kearney told them that Best was his girlfriend. Best’s sister, Dr. Gianina Best, wrote in an email to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday that Patrina was not in a relationship. She added that Kearney “was supposed to be a friend helping her move her things from Georgia to my parents’ house in Maryland before her next travel nurse assignment.”

Kearney will remain in custody and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 18. Kearney’s father, Carl Kearney Sr., declined to be interviewed when contacted at his home on Wednesday.

“Both families need love and support,” Holmes said.

Kearney was arrested and charged with battery and obstruction in 2015 after his former wife was allegedly struck, according to Seminole County, Florida, court records. She did not want to prosecute or complete domestic violence paperwork so the charges were dropped.

Spalding High principal Dexter Sands and athletic director Thomas Hoffman both attended the prayer vigil. They were also on hand Wednesday as Spalding High boys basketball hosted Burke County in the first round of the state playoffs. The host Jaguars won 69-62, keyed by Curt Clark, who scored 7 of his 17 total points in the fourth quarter.

“We needed this (win),” said Paula Hattaway, Spalding High’s longtime basketball scorekeeper. “My babies needed this.”

Last week, Clark, the senior quarterback who signed to play at Georgia Military College, was present at the Spalding High football banquet where players gifted Kearney a box of hair color on stage as a joke.

On Tuesday, the Georgia High School Association disqualified both Spalding High and Wayne County High girls basketball teams from the state tournament after a fight ended their first-round game in the first half in Jesup.

Spalding High boys basketball coach Montay West said his pre-game speech Wednesday centered on “making something good happen” for the school and community.

“We see these boys probably more than their parents do,” West said of his players. “I’m a big brother, father figure, so it’s always good to be positive for them.”

Spalding High is on winter break this week. Adam Pugh, Griffin-Spalding County School System director of communications, said counselors were available on school campus this week for football players participating in weight training. Meetings for students and faculty with counselors and administrators to discuss Kearney’s arrest are planned for next week.

“Our job is to make sure the kids are taken care of,” Pugh said.

Jim Cook drove from his home in Columbus Wednesday to attend the prayer vigil. The 1979 graduate of Griffin High called this place a “football town” that has for decades used sports to influence youth.

“The first thing I thought about was not necessarily Coach Kearney, but the boys on that team,” Cook said. “It is very important.”