Carl Kearney strangled his girlfriend, Patricia Best, at this home in Accokeek, Maryland, police said. (Mug shot: Prince George’s County Police Department; screenshot: WTTG)

By all accounts, Carl Kearney Jr., 43, was a beloved high school football coach in Georgia, but he is now accused of strangling his girlfriend, Patrina Best, 38.

The Prince George’s County Police Department in Maryland said that he walked into the Division V Clinton police station on Saturday and told officers he strangled Best that morning inside a home in the community of Accokeek on the 800 block of St. James Court.

Officers said they responded to the scene, finding her unresponsive. First responders pronounced her dead at the scene. Kearney allegedly said he strangled her during an argument.

In their statement online, police said the home belonged to Best, though a report from Washington, D.C., Fox affiliate WTTG reports that it is her parents’ home.

“Patrina was a constant source of joy and laughter in our lives,” Best’s family said in a statement to Washington, D.C., CBS affiliate WUSA. “She was guaranteed to be present for every birthday, holiday, and special occasion. She was also deeply compassionate and caring. A few years ago, she put her career on pause for several months to care for her ailing grandmother after she suffered a stroke. She was a wonderful person in every regard. She was the light of our lives, and we will miss her dearly for the rest of our days. It is with great sadness that we acknowledge her tragic death, but we are thankful for the positive impact she had on the world during her life.”