GREENE COUNTY, NC - A man serving time in prison for repeatedly raping a teenage girl was killed by another inmate, prison officials confirmed. The incident happened at Greene Correctional Institution.
The Department of Adult Correction said that 60-year-old Ernest Nichols was found dead on the floor besides his bunk in a dormitory on Sunday morning, October 5, KBTX reported. Nichols, a former middle school teacher, was convicted in 2011 of statutory rape that happened in Mecklenburg County.
He was projected to be released from prison in September 2027. However, on Tuesday, October 7, another inmate at the prison was charged with Nichols' murder. That inmate has been identified as 41-year-old Wilbert Baldwin. He was given no bond and has been moved to Maury Correctional Institution. Baldwin was already serving a 20-year sentence for second-degree murder that took place in Richmond County in 2007.
A report from WBTV in 2011 states that Nichols raped a teen several times during a six-month period, which started during the fall of 2008. Nichols was a coach with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools and was accused of raping a 15-year-old girl. In 2009, he was charged with statutory rape and several other sex crimes.
According to a search warrant, Nichols occasionally watched the girl and another male having consensual sex. Nichols posed as his teenaged son on Facebook and asked the girl to make up sexual stories and made other requests, such as asking her to "text message Nichols whenever she entered the shower."
Investigators said the incidents happened at Nichols' home in Huntersville. Police said that the victim was not a student at the school. Nichols was a physical education instructor at Ransom Middle School in north Charlotte. Before being fired, he was employed with the school district for 14 years. At the time of his arrest, he was married with two children.
The Department of Adult Correction said that 60-year-old Ernest Nichols was found dead on the floor besides his bunk in a dormitory on Sunday morning, October 5, KBTX reported. Nichols, a former middle school teacher, was convicted in 2011 of statutory rape that happened in Mecklenburg County.
He was projected to be released from prison in September 2027. However, on Tuesday, October 7, another inmate at the prison was charged with Nichols' murder. That inmate has been identified as 41-year-old Wilbert Baldwin. He was given no bond and has been moved to Maury Correctional Institution. Baldwin was already serving a 20-year sentence for second-degree murder that took place in Richmond County in 2007.
A report from WBTV in 2011 states that Nichols raped a teen several times during a six-month period, which started during the fall of 2008. Nichols was a coach with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools and was accused of raping a 15-year-old girl. In 2009, he was charged with statutory rape and several other sex crimes.
According to a search warrant, Nichols occasionally watched the girl and another male having consensual sex. Nichols posed as his teenaged son on Facebook and asked the girl to make up sexual stories and made other requests, such as asking her to "text message Nichols whenever she entered the shower."
Investigators said the incidents happened at Nichols' home in Huntersville. Police said that the victim was not a student at the school. Nichols was a physical education instructor at Ransom Middle School in north Charlotte. Before being fired, he was employed with the school district for 14 years. At the time of his arrest, he was married with two children.
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Comments
2025-10-13T20:05-0400 | Comment by: James
So, murder is murder! Put this POS to Death!