The man accused of killing a Wake County teacher and basketball coach is now in custody in Wake County, according to court documents.
60-year-old Rickey Harper is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend, 57-year-old Sheremy Dillard, according to Raleigh police. Dillard was a basketball coach at Felton Grove High School in Apex. She was found on Aug. 13 dead with multiple stab wounds inside her Raleigh home on Whistling Straits Way.
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Court documents show Harper was booked into the Wake County Detention Center on Thursday afternoon after being extradited from Pennsylvania.
Harper was arrested on Aug. 14 in Pennsylvania after Raleigh police notified the Plymouth Township Police Department that he might be in the area. He was taken into custody and held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after a standoff with detectives.
He is being held without bond and is scheduled to appear at the Wake County Courthouse on Friday at 1 p.m.
"Why her?"
Prior to working at Felton Grove, Sheremy Dillard was the longtime women's basketball coach and teacher at Carrboro High School. She also served as girls' basketball coach at Hillside High School for several years.
Jameeah Purefoy-Thaxton, a former player for the coach who had known Dillard since middle school, said it was news she never saw coming, adding that she had just spoken to the coach a couple of weeks before her death.
At first, I was sad, I was so hurt, because my coach? The sweet lady I know?" Purefoy-Thaxton said. "Now, I'm more angry and confused, because why her?"
Memorial services will begin Friday in Durham to honor Dillard’s life and legacy. The family will hold viewings on Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Fisher Memorial Funeral Parlor. A celebration of life will be held for Dillard at Hillside High School Saturday at 1 p.m. before her interment at Glennview Memorial Park.
Dillard's family has created a GoFundMe to establish a scholarship in her honor. The scholarship will support a girl graduating from Hillside High School who plans to attend an HBCU and major in physical education.