It's been 13 months since Cameron and Christopher Ervin allegedly drugged, beat and stabbed their parents inside their Gwinnett County home.
The brothers have been in jail all that time, and continue to await a trial that's yet to be scheduled. Their parents, meanwhile, have recovered — and on Sunday will host an event to formally launch their nonprofit foundation, one focused on helping the depressed and the suicidal.
And one that champions forgiveness.
"Fighting For Forgiveness, Inc. was founded as a result of a traumatic family event in September of 2015," the website for Yvonne and Zach Ervin's foundation says. "It gave us personal insight into the world of depression and how detrimental it can be when it goes undetected. God gave us the strength to forgive so that we could move forward with His plans for our lives."
Police believe that, on Sept. 5, 2015, 17-year-old Cameron and 22-year-old Christopher served their parents Xanax-spiked cocktails at the family's home near Snellville. They then cut a gas line and attempted to blow the house up, authorities have said, before going back in to beat their mother with a rifle and stab their father.
Yvonne Ervin was eventually able to call 911, and Gwinnett County police arrived to arrest her sons.
Credit: HANDOUT
Credit: HANDOUT
A possible motive for the attack has remained unclear. Less than a month afterward, however, Yvonne and Zach Ervin appeared on "Good Morning America" and called the incident "one bad moment."
On Jan. 2, Yvonne Ervin wrote a letter to a Gwinnett County judge asking for her sons to be released from jail.
Nine days later, "Fighting for Forgiveness" — which is "committed to assisting those who are experiencing depression, thoughts of suicide and trauma by giving them access to counseling, peer mentorship and medical attention," according to its website — became a legal entity.
The nonprofit's website suggests one of the Ervin brothers battled with such issues, but little more is known about the organization or its specific inspiration.
Online court records show that, in April, a judge issued an order for a psychological evaluation for Cameron Ervin.
Multiple attempts to contact Zach and Yvonne Ervin for this article were unsuccessful. The attorneys representing their children also did not respond to inquiries, and a family friend said the couple wasn't inclined to speak to a reporter.
The foundation will hold a "program kick-off and cook out" from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Snellville's Lenora Park.
"The vision of 'Fighting For Forgiveness' was given to our son," its website says, "and we are committed to carrying it forward."
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