Death of an Artist: The Mysterious True Story of Petra and Michael Mathers

The third season of the Death Of An Artist podcast is co-hosted by married couple and investigative journalists, Leon Nafok and Alice Gregory. Featuring recollections and insights from Petra and Michael’s friends and family, the show explores their fascinating life and unsettling death, as well as the complicated grief of those they left behind.

How did the couple first meet? Petra had been living with her husband David in Oregon. Originally from Germany, Petra wasn’t really in love with him according to her friends, and had married for a green card. But then one day at a book signing in Portland, Petra laid eyes on Michael Mathers. The attraction was instant. This was a real life case of love at first sight. Immediately, Petra decided to leave her husband to be with Michael.

Pharmacist Marsha Etro worked at an Astoria drug store Michael and Petra visited often. She described Petra as “very sweet, very pretty and always upbeat and happy”, while Michael was “more serious, but funny”. The last time Marsha saw them, Michael was hurrying Petra saying they had to go.

Soon after that, Marsha received a letter in Petra’s writing, signed by them both. The letter said that the couple had always planned on ending their lives together, and that time had come. Alarmed, Marsha rushed to their house, frantically knocking on the door but there was no answer. Noticing their shoes outside, she knew they must be at home. That’s when she then called the police.

An officer managed to find the keys and open the door. In the bedroom, he was met with a carefully constructed scene. There were plastic bags, tubing, a canister of nitrogen gas and two folding camp chairs. One chair was empty. In the other sat the body of Micheal. Nearby, Petra was lying peacefully on a small sofa. It looked like she had passed away first, then Michael had made her look presentable, before dying himself shortly afterwards.

There was a note left on a legal pad on the table. Addressed to the police department, it began: “We apologise for this unpleasant task, but since we wanted to quietly die together at home, this seemed the only solution. Thank you for this and not alarming the neighbours.”

Everything had been thoroughly planned out. Their estate was organised with their executor named. A friend was looking after their pet cats. They had even designed and bought their gravestone, engraved with their names and a question mark.

Not only that, the couple had also sent dozens of letters to their friends and family. In these letters they shared their intention to take their lives together in a joint suicide, saying that by the time the letters were received the couple would already be dead. The letters indicated that this was not a sudden decision. In fact, they had been planning and preparing their final act together for a long time.

Two of their closest friends, Michael Braski and Michael Coy, known as the two Michaels, received a letter written by Petra. She had written: “Dear honeys, this is goodbye. Time to close shop for us. We've always planned to check out together. Michael, as a true gentleman, has taken everything in hand, having done research for quite a while.” The letter confirmed that their death was carefully planned, months in advance and that Michael had taken the lead in the preparations.

As well as being saddened by this devastating loss, some of Petra and Michael's friends were angry about what happened, describing it as “senseless” and “selfish”. One friend shared that Michael had a longstanding fascination with death, and for a time drove a hearse. Another stated that they held Michael responsible for Petra’s death. Others were more understanding, commenting that Petra and Michael had always said they wanted to go together.

But what really happened to the artistic couple and why? The deaths of Petra and Michael left many unanswered questions. In this fascinating podcast you can discover this intriguing real-life story in detail. Beyond merely delving into what went on, this season of Death Of An Artist is a compelling, personal and profoundly moving exploration of love, death and grief.

Listen to all series of Death of an Artist on BBC Sounds now.