MAURY, N.C. (WKRC) — A middle school teacher who was convicted of raping a 15-year-old multiple times was reportedly killed in prison by a convicted murderer.
According to local outlet WITN, 60-year-old Ernest Nichols was discovered dead beside his dormitory bunk in the Greene Correctional Institution at around 6:50 a.m. on October 5.
Two days later, the Green County Sheriff’s Office charged fellow inmate Wilbert Baldwin with murder in connection with Nichols’ death, per the outlet.
Baldwin was reportedly serving a sentence for second-degree murder, which he was convicted of in 2010 … read more [free to read]
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
Monday, October 6, 2025, NC DEPARTMENT OF ADULT CORRECTION
Death at Greene Correctional Institution under investigation
The death of a person in custody at Greene Correctional Institution is being investigated as a homicide.
Ernest Nichols was found unresponsive in his dormitory at 6:49 a.m. Sunday.
Staff performed emergency life-saving procedures and called EMS, which pronounced him deceased at 7:22 a.m.
The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating, and NCDAC is cooperating fully.
Greene Correctional has been placed on temporary lockdown as the investigation continues.
Nichols, 60, was convicted in Mecklenburg County in 2011 of statutory rape. His projected release date was in September 2027.
