A beloved North Carolina teacher and girls’ basketball coach was found stabbed to death inside her Raleigh home, and authorities say her boyfriend has been arrested in Pennsylvania in connection with the killing.
Sheremy Gwenette Dillard, 57, was found dead around 12:18 p.m. Thursday at a home on Whistling Straits Way, according to the Raleigh Police Department. Family members had requested a welfare check after they had not heard from her.
Police said Dillard had multiple stab wounds. Her boyfriend, Rickey Harper, was not at the residence when officers arrived. Investigators used Flock camera technology to track Harper’s vehicle as he left North Carolina.
Harper was located in Plymouth, Pennsylvania, around 2:45 p.m. Friday and taken into custody by police there. The Wake County District Attorney’s Office said Harper has been charged with first-degree murder in Dillard’s death.
Dillard’s death has sent shockwaves through the local education and basketball communities.
She joined Felton Grove High School in Apex in August 2025, where she worked as a recovery teacher and coached the girls’ basketball team. School Principal Robert Morrison informed families of her death, describing the loss as devastating for the school community.
Before joining Felton Grove, Dillard spent years as a teacher and women’s basketball coach at Carrboro High School. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools described her as someone who treated players, coaches and colleagues like family and advocated passionately for students and the community.
Former students, athletes and colleagues have begun remembering Dillard for her mentorship and the impact she had on young people throughout the Triangle.
The investigation into her death remains ongoing. Harper’s arrest is an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
