Wife's Murder Conviction
Prestwich Wife Found Guilty of Husband's Murder After Paring Knife 'Accident' Claim
Key Points
The 999 call timing and the defendant's behaviour during the incident raised questions: a 999 call was made at 2pm, paramedics found Mr Berman with a chest stab wound, and the emergency call began roughly 25 seconds after the defendant opened her phone at 1:54:46pm. CPR did not start until more than six minutes into the call, during which she briefly went silent and even answered another phone in the same room, asking police on arrival, “You don’t think I murdered him do you?”.
A Home Office pathologist, Dr Philip Lumb, told the court that the stab wound had ‘typical features of a homicide’ and that an accidental fall was ‘very unlikely’ to have caused the fatal wound; a defensive wound was observed on Mr Berman’s finger, supporting a deliberate stabbing.
The weapon was a 12cm paring knife used for the defendant’s lunch, with prosecutors portraying the act as deliberate; the defense argued the husband may have fallen while carrying her tray back to the kitchen, contradicting the claim of an accidental fall.
The Berman couple lived in a £500,000 Prestwich home; David Berman was described as a retired businessman and a great grandfather, with relatives noting a loving 27-year marriage and no prior history of domestic violence.
A Manchester jury found Daryl Berman, 72, guilty of murdering her 84-year-old husband David on June 23, 2026 — by an 11-to-1 majority verdict after 13 hours and 38 minutes of deliberation. Birmingham Mail reported that Berman had told paramedics her husband simply "fell onto a little paring knife" she had used for her lunch, but prosecutors said she deliberately drove the 12cm blade into his chest.
The retrial at Minshull Street Crown Court followed a hung jury in December 2025. Berman is now set to be sentenced on July 3, 2026, where she faces a mandatory life sentence. The case shocked the Prestwich Jewish community, where David Berman — a retired businessman and great-grandfather — was a well-respected figure, Yahoo News reported.
The 999 Call That Raised Immediate Red Flags
Digital forensics showed Daryl unlocked her phone at 1:54:46pm on March 13, 2025. She dialled 999 just 25 seconds later, claiming David had slipped. But CPR did not start until more than six minutes into the call. During that silence, she answered a second phone ringing in the same room, Examiner Live reported.
Paramedics arrived at 2:13pm to find David with a catastrophic chest wound. He was pronounced dead at 2:39pm. When police arrived, Daryl asked them: "You don't think I murdered him, do you?" That evening, she wrote "Bye bye" on the family calendar for that date, adding two kisses and a heart, according to Yahoo News.
Pathologists Clash Over Whether the Wound Was Murder
Home Office pathologist Dr. Philip Lumb told the court the stab wound was "characteristic of a fatal attack." He said accidental death was "inconceivable." The entry wound measured 2.5cm wide and 12cm deep — deep enough to pierce through the ribs and into the heart. A defensive wound on David's finger also pointed to a deliberate attack, Birmingham Mail reported.
The defense called Dr. Richard Shepherd — known for work on the Princess Diana and Stephen Lawrence cases — who argued he "could not exclude accident." He said elderly victims with fragile health could present atypically. But the jury sided with the prosecution after weighing more than 13 hours of deliberation, according to Express.
A Loving Marriage With No Warning Signs of Violence
The Bermans had been married for 27 years and lived in a £500,000 home on Butterstile Lane, Prestwich. Both prosecution and defense described the marriage as "loving and mutually supportive," with no history of domestic violence or police involvement. David had recently been diagnosed with dementia and had a history of heart issues, Examiner Live reported.
David's daughter Deborah Davis had dropped him home at 11:30am that day after a morning at a children's play centre. She later testified the scene looked "like an abattoir." She said Daryl's calm demeanor while she was in "meltdown" was chilling, according to Yahoo News.
Prosecution Says Daryl Berman 'Lied to Her Own Family'
Lead prosecutor Michael Brady KC told the court Daryl's behavior was "matter-of-fact and emotionless." He said she killed David "for reasons known only to her" and then invented the story of an accidental fall. CPS lawyer Sazeeda Ismail said after the verdict that the jury "saw through her lies," Birmingham Mail reported.
Daryl gave evidence in her own defense on June 17 — her 72nd birthday — denying she stabbed her husband. Her defense team called it "a tragedy, not a crime," pointing to David's physical frailty as proof a fall was possible. The jury rejected that argument. Sentencing is set for July 3, 2026, according to Express.
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