Investigations are underway at Greene Correctional facility after the killing of former school gym teacher Ernest Nichols. Nichols, 60, was incarcerated for repeatedly raping a 15-year-old, was found unresponsive in his cell on Sunday morning in Maury, North Carolina, around 6:50 am. According to reports, another inmate had killed Nichols in his cell. Officials said the State Bureau of Investigation is leading the criminal inquiry at the local authorities’ request. Prison officials placed the facility on temporary lockdown while investigators processed the scene and conducted interviews.
Death at Greene Correctional Institution
According to the state’s reports, Nichols was found unresponsive at 6:50 a.m. in his cell at Greene Correctional on Sunday. Staff attempted emergency measures before contacting EMS, which pronounced him dead at 7:22 a.m.. Reports state that the facility was immediately placed under a temporary lockdown to preserve the scene and for investigators to evaluate the scene. This included collecting evidence and interviews with Greene Correctional staff and other inmates within the cell’s vicinity.
Criminal Conviction of Nichols
Ernest Nichols was a middle school gym teacher at Ranson Middle School in Charlotte, where he was employed for 14 years. He pled guilty in 2011 to statutory rape, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections and a Mecklenburg County District Attorney release on the original case. Nichols was arrested at his home in October 2009. Police also seized sex toys, videotapes, a video camera and photographs found at his home.
Nichols faced numerous serious criminal accusations spanning multiple categories of sexual offenses. Prosecutors brought 5 second-degree rape charges against him. They also filed 5 statutory rape counts involving victims aged 13, 14, or 15 years old. Prosecutors added 6 second-degree kidnapping charges to the indictment. The state pursued Nichols for 4 counts of second-degree forcible sexual offense.
The court sentenced Nichols to 15 years behind bars. According to WRAL, authorities initially arrested him on a shocking 27 charges. These charges included a list of multiple sex offenses. Records indicate officials projected Nichols would be released in September 2027. They based this projection on the sentence they imposed at the time of his plea.
Details Of His Case
Nichols lured his 15-year-old victim by impersonating his own son on Facebook and MySpace. The victim, who was not a student at the school, reported that Nichols repeatedly raped her over a period of 6 months in 2008. According to an arrest warrant, Nichols sent her sexually explicit messages and made outlandish requests such as letting him know “whenever she entered the shower.”
These encounters all occurred at Nichols’ family residence, and according to the warrant, he would sometimes watch his victim have consensual sex with other males. He would also demand that the victim tell people that she was consenting to the sexual encounters between her and Nichols. Before his arrest, he was confronted by his victim’s mother about the abuse, which continued for months. In response, he proclaimed himself a “pig” during their conversation.
District Employment and Suspension
Nichols taught physical education at Ranson Middle School in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg district until his arrest and subsequent suspension without pay after the allegations came to light. Following this, further restrictions were placed on his access to district property, according to media summaries of those documents. Remaining in jail during his trial, he was credited with time served after his sentence of 18-22 years for the conviction. In exchange for a plea deal, kidnapping and second-degree rape charges were waived from Nichols’s conviction.
Nichols Defies Court During Hearing
Nichols stubbornly refused to cooperate with the judge during his hearing. When the judge requested Nichols to enter a plea, he declined repeatedly, showing no willingness to comply and instead arguing that he was not the “straw man.” His behavior remained disruptive, insisting that he did not grasp the nature of the charges. Even with the judge’s clear instructions, Nichols continued to claim ignorance and denied any understanding of the accusations.
Nichols’ conduct escalated to the point that court officers had to physically intervene. A bailiff physically restrained him after multiple warnings failed to restore order. Despite being subdued, Nichols persisted in declaring that the legal process was invalid in his case.
Suspect Charged in Prison Killing
Greene County deputies served inmate Wilbert Baldwin, 41, with a murder warrant on Tuesday. The warrant connects Baldwin to the death of Ernest Nichols. Guards discovered Nichols dead in his cell on Sunday, October 5th, 2025. Officials immediately launched a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
Authorities are holding Baldwin without bond while they continue their probe. Investigators are examining all evidence from the scene. He was already serving a previous conviction for second-degree murder in Richmond County back in 2010. He remains in state custody while the homicide charge proceeds through standard processes, according to the updates.
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Homicide Inquiry and Lead Agency
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is handling the criminal investigation into Nichols’ death as a suspected homicide. They are closely working with the Department of Adult Correction and local officials in Greene County, according to agency statements. Authorities indicated that autopsy findings will inform the final cause and manner of death, and that further details could be released once those results and other forensic analyses are available, officials said in the notice.
Next Steps in the Investigation
Investigators will integrate autopsy conclusions, physical evidence, and witness accounts to finalize case assessments and any additional charges. The Department of Adult Correction said it will release further public details after it completes core investigative steps. They will provide updates once they conclude interagency reviews. This approach remains consistent with established practices that they follow in in-custody homicide cases. The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) handles these cases according to standard protocols.
What Officials Have Said
Officials emphasized the SBI’s lead role and the prison’s temporary lockdown for scene control and safety during the response, reiterating that the case remains an active homicide investigation at this stage. Authorities have not released additional specifics on the manner of death pending the medical examiner’s findings, and they said they will provide more information when it becomes appropriate and they conclude investigations.
Legal Process for the Charge
With a murder warrant served, the case moves into court scheduling, discovery, and pretrial steps under North Carolina law, managed by county prosecutors. They will receive investigative support from the SBI, according to reports. Bond determinations, custodial placement, and any subsequent filings will track the progress of the homicide case and related evidence submissions, the updates indicate.
Conclusion
Officials continue investigating the homicide case and plan to release additional updates soon. Medical examiners will complete autopsy results in the coming days. Forensic teams are analyzing evidence from the crime scene.
The court will schedule proceedings as attorneys file motions and request hearings. Prosecutors will advance the murder case through the legal system. Law enforcement has already denied bond for Baldwin. Authorities set his bond conditions at no bond, keeping him in custody pending trial.
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