Update: Inmate served murder warrant for death at Greene Correctional Institution
Update:
(GREENE COUNTY, NC) -- Today, 41-year-old Wilbert Baldwin was served by Greene County Sheriff’s Deputies with a murder warrant for the death of another inmate, Ernest Nichols, on Sunday, 10/05/2025. Baldwin was previously convicted of Second Degree Murder in 2010 in Richmond County. He is serving a sentence in the Greene Correctional Institution located in Maury, NC.
This morning, Baldwin was served with the murder warrant and given no bond. He was returned to the Department of Adult Correction to continue serving his current sentence.
The NC SBI is investigating this homicide at the request of the Greene County Sheriff. We are also working with the Department of Adult Correction.
Greene County Sheriff's Office @nccorrection North Carolina Department of Public Safety @ncpublicsafety @ncalcohollawenforcement @nc_governor Governor Josh Stein North Carolina State Highway Patrol @ncsheriffsassociation North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police Greene County Government, NC North Carolina Department of Adult Correction
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.
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