Are they parents in extreme denial or just showing their faith through unconditional love? That is the question many have of Yvonne and Zachery Ervin, who made the national news in a way they could have never expected – as the victims of an attempted murder plot masterminded and almost carried out by their two sons. Earlier this month, Cameron 17, and his brother, Christopher, 22, drugged and then attacked their parents at the family home in Snellville, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta.
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The brothers also attempted to blow up the house by tampering with the gas lines, but after their father distracted them, she was able to call 911 and stop the attack before it turned fatal. Zachery Ervin was stabbed in the attack and Yvonne appeared to have two Black eyes after she was released from the hospital.
The Ervins have puzzled outsiders who wonder what could have happened in their family that would have motivated the sons to commit such an act. There is no known previous history of violence among any of the family members, although it has been reported that one son said he plotted the attack for years. If the Ervins suspect any motive, they have been quiet about it thus far.
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“Our kids had one bad moment,” Zachery Ervin said in an appearance on Good Morning America with his wife. “By no means am I discounting what has happened. I look at my wife. I look at her scars. I look at the things that happened. I look at me.”
Both parents have said that despite the seriousness of their crimes that they have forgiven their sons.
Christopher and Cameron remain in jail and are being held without bail. They have been charged with felony aggravated assault and first-degree arson and both will be charged as adults. Should they be convicted, they could be facing up to 60 years.
Yvonne Ervin, who was able to make the 911 call that saved her and her husband’s lives, said that her children don’t have any history of violent behavior.
“And that’s the crazy part: Our children had prepared dinner for us the night before,” she told Good Morning America. “As teenagers, you know, they have issues with cleaning their room and having attitudes sometimes when you tell them to do something — just like I’m sure every family experiences. That was totally out of character for them. They are not violent. They’ve never gotten into any type of trouble with violence.”
As for those who can’t understand how she can forgive her sons – she says: “What if it was your son?”
