Ernest Nichols, a 60-year-old former gym teacher convicted of repeatedly raping a 15-year-old girl, was found dead in his cell at Greene Correctional Institution in North Carolina. The North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections (NCDAC) stated that he was found unresponsive at around 6:50 a.m. on Sunday, and emergency procedures were performed before his death was confirmed at 7:22 a.m. The prison, a minimum-security facility with dormitory-style housing, clarified that Nichols was not murdered in his cell. Nichols had been serving a 15-year sentence, set for release in September 2027, following his 2011 conviction for statutory rape. A murder warrant was issued for 41-year-old Wilbert Baldwin, who was previously convicted of second-degree murder in 2010. Baldwin was returned to the Department of Adult Corrections to serve his current sentence while authorities await the results of Nichols’ autopsy to release further details.