Kriti Mehrotra
When multiple gunshots rang out inside an elite gym called Equinox in the affluent area of Coral Gables, Florida, shortly before 1 pm on April 8, 2017, it left the entire community shaken to its very core. That’s because, as profiled in Investigation Discovery’s ‘Killer Bods: Pride and Payback,’ three individuals lost their lives in the incident, with Janine Ackerman and Marios Hortis having been targeted. They were both managers at the exclusive facility, which inadvertently played a role in their homicide, as investigations backed by witness statements revealed a former employee to be the assailant.
Janine Ackerman Was Beloved By Many
It was on March 1, 1982, when Janine Ella Ackerman was born to Janice Ackerman and John Ackerman as one of their four children in a loving, supportive household in Burlington County, New Jersey. She thus reportedly grew up surrounded by three siblings – John, Jake, and Jenna – as well as two sets of grandparents, all of whom never hesitated to convey their affection and deep care for her. The vibrant, intelligent, and ambitious young girl graduated from Woodstown High School in 2000, immediately following which she enrolled in Michigan State University on a field hockey scholarship.
Janine was a star athlete in every sense, yet her passion also lay in helping or serving others, which is why she joyously chose to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Business (class of 2005). She subsequently earned her Master’s degree in the same field from Florida International University, where she was even appointed a Student Leader at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival. It was then that she evolved from serving as a Front Desk Manager at The Hotel George to Director of VIP Services & Assistant Director of Rooms at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach.
However, by the summer of 2016, Janine had managed to blend her love for fitness and hospitality by landing the role of General Manager at the upscale Equinox gym in Merrick Park, Coral Gables. The 35-year-old never could have imagined that she would be forced to leave behind her beautiful home in Coconut Grove, her loving fiancé, Kareem Zarwi, and her kind family, less than a year later. “She was smart, she was athletic, she was charming, she was determined,” her former university advisor turned friend Steve Moll once told CBS News, describing her as “the whole package.”
Marios Hortis Was a Corporate Employee Turned Fitness Manager
Although born on December 19, 1974, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Marios Nicolas Hortis primarily grew up in St. Cloud, Minnesota, in a seemingly broken, blended, yet loving family with Greek origins. According to records, his mother, Loretta Trulson, and father, Theophanis Hortis, separated when he, as well as his brother, Alexander Hortis, were relatively young, with both of them later remarrying. His family hence comprised his parents, stepparents, elder brother, and younger step-sister, Angela Trulson, all of whom encouraged his dreams even if they did not follow a traditional path.
Marios graduated from St. Cloud Technical High School as a student-athlete engaged in soccer, following which he attended Saint John’s University in Collegeville for a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. He subsequently secured a great job at a Fortune 500 company before realizing his passion lay in the world of entertainment and fitness, driving him to take a leap of faith unlike any other. He left his job to establish a career in modeling before gradually also exploring his love for wellness through nutrition classes, personal training certifications, yoga practices, and much more.
Therefore, by the time spring 2017 rolled around, 42-year-old Marios was a full-time Spinning Instructor, Health Trainer, and Fitness Manager at the Equinox Fitness Club in Merrick Park, Coral Gables. The love of his life, his girlfriend of almost 5 years, Carolina Eckardt, was also employed at the exclusive gym, so the South Beach-based couple were almost always happily together. “I cherished (Marios) as a one of a kind friend,” a client of his from the facility later said. “I will miss his infectious smile… He was an exceptional teacher who changed people’s lives for the better.”
Janine Ackerman and Marios Hortis Passed Away From Their Injuries
It was at around 12:48 pm on April 8, 2017, when everything turned upside down for the families of Janine and Marios as that’s when a former personal trainer entered the gym with a gun in hand. According to the original, the General Manager was at the front desk at the time, and the shooter pointed the weapon at her without saying anything before pulling the trigger several times. The Fitness Manager then rushed to Janine instead of running away like everyone else in the high-end establishment in the hopes of helping her, unaware that the shooter would open fire on him.
When first responders arrived at the scene after receiving several calls within a span of a few minutes, they found both Janine and Marios lying right where they had been shot. The former was reportedly completely unconscious, but the latter managed to say “Tell my girlfriend I love her” before he slipped in and out of consciousness too. The co-workers were both immediately rushed to the nearby Jackson Memorial Hospital, but it was already too late – they sadly died from their injuries not long after. Their autopsies confirmed their cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds, with Marios in particular having been shot twice in the back and then once to the head.
Abeku Wilson Died From a Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound
As per the aforementioned episode, by the time authorities had arrived at the scene, the incident was over as the shooter, a recently fired personal trainer named Abeku Wilson, had died by suicide. The 33-year-old was reportedly making his way to the back room lockers after having opened fire on the two managers in search of a longtime friend turned co-worker when another former co-worker intercepted him. The latter tried to calm him down because it was unclear whether he was looking for a third target or a lifeline by telling him, “You don’t want to do this,” and that’s when the shooter turned the weapon on himself. He pulled the trigger before he could be stopped.
Part-time model and passionate fitness trainer Abeku thus died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and it was moments later that officers arrived at the scene. It subsequently came to light that he had been fired from Equinox by Janine in the presence of Marios less than an hour before, so he had returned to take revenge. According to records, the business graduate from the University of Miami had been employed there since 2009 and had always performed incredibly well.
However, recently, owing to alleged unresolved anger issues and his mother having been diagnosed with terminal cancer, Abeku’s disposition had changed. The managers were reportedly understanding at first, but when he pushed a co-worker into a wall following an argument, Janine was asked to let him go. He was fired due to “workplace violence” after his two-hour class ended at noon on the fateful day, following which he was escorted out and ordered not to return, which really hurt him. So, less than an hour later, he returned with a gun in his hand.
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