Daryl Berman, 72, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years for the murder of her husband David Berman, 84. The sentencing took place at Minshull Street Crown Court on Friday, following a retrial where she was found guilty last month. Berman had claimed throughout two trials that her husband's death was accidental, asserting that he fell in their kitchen and landed on a small paring knife.
Incident and initial response
The fatal incident occurred at the couple's home on Butterstile Lane in Prestwich in March last year. Berman called emergency services at 1.55pm on March 13, 2025, reporting that her husband had been injured. Mr Berman was pronounced dead at the scene at 2.39pm. Initially, Berman's explanation that the injury was accidental was accepted by police. However, a senior pathologist was later called in after another doctor expressed concerns about the wound.
Home Office pathologist Dr Philip Lumb concluded that the stab wound had the "typical features of a homicide" and that an accidental fall was "very unlikely to have caused the fatal wound." Mr Berman also sustained a defensive wound to his finger.
Court proceedings and sentencing
During sentencing, Judge Tina Landale stated: "On all accounts, you were nurturing and caring towards him. However, life was changing for you, and not for the better. What happened next is unclear. Not knowing what happened has caused ongoing distress to his children. It appears he took your lunch tray and something happened between you. David Berman fell to the floor and you stabbed him in the chest. He tried to defend himself and, in doing so, sustained a separate wound to his finger. You have never given a truthful account of what happened. I am satisfied you lost your temper, which caused you to attack David. Whatever the trigger was is unknown."
The court heard that the couple's 27-year marriage had been "loving and mutually supportive," with no history of domestic violence or police involvement. Berman was described as a "very supportive and loving wife." However, prosecutors noted that Mr Berman's family observed unusual behavior from the defendant after his death. Prosecutor Michael Brady KC said: "Although there is no set way to respond to and deal with grief, in the days following David's death members of his family noticed how matter-of-fact and emotionless the defendant was."
Victim impact statement
In a victim impact statement, Mr Berman's daughter, Debbie Davis, expressed her ongoing trauma: "Finding out my father died due to Daryl is an ongoing nightmare. I have found it hard to sleep and keep going over that date and scenarios in my mind. I feel like [I'm] living in my nightmare. I have been feeling very up and down and quite often burst out crying. I feel like I can't even mourn my father. He was just getting to know his great-grandchildren. They keep asking if Grandpa Dave is coming to soft play. There is a massive void in my life. I know my father was 84, but he still had some good years ahead of him."
Details of the incident
On the day of the incident, Mr Berman had been with his daughter and great-granddaughter at a play centre. Berman called 999 and administered CPR under the operator's instructions. When asked what happened, she said: "I don't know. I was in the other room. He's carried a tray in. And all I can see is the tray. I think there was a knife. I don't know whether the little knife that was there has gone into him and stabbed him. I really don't know what's happened."
The first paramedic found Mr Berman lying on his back on the kitchen floor. After a police officer arrived, Berman allegedly asked: "You don't think I've murdered him, do you?" The officer also spoke with Mr Berman's son, who described his father as "clumsy" and "always falling." The death was not initially treated as suspicious, but a post-mortem examination five days later raised concerns, leading to Berman's arrest on suspicion of murder that evening.
During police interview, Berman stated that she and her husband had lunch in the lounge and he offered to take her tray into the kitchen. She heard a stumble or fall, and when she went to investigate, she found him face down in a pool of blood. She said: "I got the shock of my life because I didn't know where it was coming from. I just... I just couldn't understand. And I was screaming, I said: 'David, David'... I said: 'You can't go like this.'"
Mitigation and police statement
Mitigating, Michael Hayton KC described the incident as a domestic incident against a backdrop that was "not familiar" to the court, calling it "short lived violence" that was not premeditated. He accepted that due to her age, the sentence would effectively be a "whole-life term."
Detective Inspector Alex Wilkinson, from Greater Manchester Police's Major Incident Team, said: "David Berman was an 84-year-old man who should have been able to enjoy his later years in safety of his own home. Instead, his life was cruelly cut short by the person he trusted most. From the outset, Daryl Berman attempted to present her husband's death as a tragic accident and maintained that account throughout the investigation. However, the findings of the post-mortem examination exposed the truth and ultimately led to her being found guilty of his murder. Our thoughts remain with David's family and loved ones as they continue to come to terms with his death. While nothing can undo the pain caused by his loss, we hope today's sentence provides them with a measure of justice and allows them to begin moving forward."
A total of 192 days spent in custody will be deducted from Berman's sentence.
