One day after two Gwinnett brothers were charged with viciously attacking their parents and trying to set their home on fire, a possible motive remained a mystery.
Gwinnett County police spokesman Sgt. Rich Long said Christopher and Cameron Ervin, 17 and 22, respectively, both lived at the Snellville-area home where they allegedly assaulted their mother and stabbed their father "several times" Saturday morning. The house's gas line had been tampered with, and Long said there was evidence that the Ervin brothers had "tried to start a fire."
The brothers were reportedly cooperative during interviews with police, and detectives have “several theories,” Long said — but a potential motive has not been nailed down.
Long said Sunday he does not believe there was any history of calls at the Ervin family’s middle-class home. Online records reflect no local criminal history for anyone involved.
“Nothing was conclusive,” Long said.
Officers responded to Ervins’ home on Forbes Drive at about 7:50 a.m. Saturday after receiving a 911 call from Yvonne Ervin, who told dispatchers “her children were trying to kill her and her husband,” Zachary.
“She stated that her husband was distracting them so she was able to call for help,” Long said in an email. “The call eventually went silent.”
Police arriving on scene found Zachary Ervin “severely injured and bleeding heavily.” He had been stabbed multiple times, Long confirmed Sunday. Specifics regarding Yvonne Ervin’s injuries were not available, but she was described as “seriously injured.”
Both parents were taken to the hospital and are expected to survive.
Christopher and Cameron Ervin were both detained at the scene and were later booked into the Gwinnett County jail on two counts apiece of aggravated assault and first-degree arson.
They were scheduled for a first appearance hearing Sunday morning, but Channel 2 Action News reported that a Gwinnett County magistrate judge opted instead to meet with each brother alone because they were “being held in separate isolation cells.”
They are scheduled for a probable cause hearing Friday, Channel 2 reported.
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