Wake County high school mourns girls basketball coach who died in Raleigh stabbing

APEX, N.C. (WNCN) — Students and staffers of Wake County Public School System high school are mourning the death of a teacher and basketball coach who was killed in a stabbing earlier this week, Raleigh and Wake County officials said.

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Sheremy Gwenette Dillard, who coached at Felton Grove High School in Apex, was found dead Thursday afternoon in Raleigh after relatives told police that they had not heard from her, according to the Raleigh Police Department and Wake County Public School System.

Police said Dillard appeared to die from stabbing injuries and they sought her boyfriend, Rickey Harper, with whom she lived with along Whistling Straits Way, a Raleigh police news release said.

Harper was charged with first-degree murder after he was taken into custody Friday afternoon in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Raleigh police said.

Meanwhile that same day, Felton Grove High families were told about Dillard’s tragic death.

“It is with great sadness that I write this message to let you know that our recovery teacher and girls basketball coach, Sheremy Dillard, has passed away,” Felton Grove High School Principal Robert Morrison said in a note to school parents and students.

Morrison added, “Our condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends. Please keep them and all of those that have been impacted by this loss in your hearts.”

Dillard joined the high school just as it opened in 2025, according to Wake County school system records. As a recovery teacher Dillard helped students catch up on needed skills or credits.

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Before joining Felton Grove High, Dillard was the girls basketball coach at Carrboro High School. In 2023, she was named the Northern Lakes Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in that sport.

Felton Grove officials also offered students and others counseling services through Transitions GriefCare, which provides free community services “to help students navigate these difficult feelings of loss,” Morrison said in the letter.

School officials also said that Alliance Health offers further counseling and therapeutic services, with a crisis line that is available aroudn the clock at 1-877-233-4617.

“We have staff available at the school to assist our students in coping with this loss,” the principal also said in the letter to families.

Morrison also said the school community would support each other in the coming days and weeks.

“We will work together as a unified school community and we will support one another as we process this loss and navigate this challenging time together,” Morrison added in the letter.

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