German insurance fraud turned deadly in Peru
Petra Fehre from Bochum was on an adventurous honeymoon trek when she was struck by a bullet to the head on the famous Inca Trail on August 11, 1997. Hours later, she died in a hospital in Cusco. Her husband Markus Fehre was the only witness to what would turn out to be a calculated murder.
German police would later prove that Markus Fehre had planned the murder to receive his wife's life insurance payout of 300,000 Deutsche Mark—a substantial sum at the time.
When Petra was found with a gunshot wound to the head, Peruvian police assumed it was a robbery gone wrong—bandits passing through the area. But gradually it became clear that there had been no robbery, no other victims were attacked, and no perpetrator was found.
When Markus Fehre returned to Germany just weeks later in October 1997, the Peruvian authorities did little to advance the case. German police had to take over.
The prosecution office in Bonn assigned criminal investigator Elke B. to the case—and she immediately became suspicious of the husband. She was right.
The investigation revealed several decisive pieces of evidence:
The bullet's trajectory: The shot was fired from above downward—precisely from the height where Markus Fehre stood with his walking stick. Forensic analysis showed the position matched his height and build.
Contradictory testimony: Markus Fehre's own account of what happened was inconsistent on several points. Other hikers had heard sounds but could not precisely see what happened.
Money as motive: The insurance sum of 300,000 DM was significant for the couple at that time. It also emerged that Petra and Markus had been on the brink of divorce shortly before the wedding—the honeymoon was their attempt to save the marriage. But Markus apparently had given up.
Landgericht Bonn tried the case from January 14 to February 28, 2002. The court found Markus Fehre guilty of murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
"The defendant shot his wife to receive the life insurance sum," the verdict stated.
Markus Fehre remains imprisoned today. An application for special detention review was rejected in 2020.
Now German broadcaster ARD has decided to reconstruct the entire case in a 3-part documentary series starting on ARD-mediathek on March 23, 2025. The series is based on the complete investigation file, court records, and new interviews with Elke B. herself—the investigator who solved the international case.
The three parts follow chronologically:
Part 1: The crime and Peru investigation
Part 2: German police take action—from suspicion to evidence
Part 3: The court rules—what happened to the case since
The series also offers insight into how a dedicated investigator works across national borders—and how intuition and systematic work sometimes matter more than speed.
With 28 years between the crime and documentation, the series can treat the case with both calm and respect. It is far enough away to see clearly, yet close enough that the lessons still matter to both investigators and the justice system.
The case also falls into the classic true crime murder with all the ingredients: international murder, perpetrator from the immediate circle, financial motive, lengthy investigative work, and ultimately justice. Germany is currently producing some of the world's most thoroughly researched true crime documentaries—and this case is an excellent example.
Petra Fehre's murder is not just about one criminal case. It is also a study in how German and Peruvian justice systems operate, how borders between national police systems can both complicate and improve cases—and how one person's intuition can be just as important as hard evidence.
Petra Fehre was only 28 years old. Her name lives on through this documentary—and through international murder mysteries like this, which show that justice sometimes takes 28 years, but when it comes, it comes thoroughly.
Markus Fehre remains imprisoned. Cases like this show how love and greed can turn into something darker than the worst crime.