Wife who claimed husband, 84, 'tripped and fell' on knife is jailed for life

Wife who claimed husband, 84, 'tripped and fell' on knife is jailed for life Daryl Berman, who claimed her husband David Berman had fallen in their kitchen and landed on a 'little knife', has been sentenced to life in prison for his murder A woman who claimed her husband had fallen in their kitchen and landed on a "little paring knife" has been jailed for life for his murder. Daryl Berman, 72, maintained throughout two trials that the death of her husband David Berman, 84, was accidental. Mr Berman suffered a fatal chest wound during an incident at their home on Butterstile Lane in Prestwich in March last year. At Minshull Street Crown Court on Friday, Berman was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 12 years. A total of 192 days spent in custody will be deducted from her sentence, the Manchester Evening News reports. Berman was found guilty of murder last month following an eight-day retrial at the same court after jurors in the first trial were unable to reach verdicts. Sentencing, Judge Tina Landale told Berman: "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." In a victim impact statement, Mr Berman's daughter, Debbie Davis, said: "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." Daryl Berman was 'matter-of-fact' and 'emotionless' after the murder The court previously heard that Berman called emergency services at 1.55pm on March 13, 2025, to report that her husband had been injured. He was pronounced dead at their home at 2.39pm. Prosecutor Michael Brady KC said it was only later that a senior pathologist was called in after another doctor was "troubled" by the injury. Home Office pathologist Dr Philip Lumb reported that the stab wound had the "typical features of a homicide". He said that although it was not impossible, an accidental fall was "very unlikely to have caused the fatal wound". Mr Berman was also found to have a "defensive" wound to his finger. The couple’s 27-year marriage had been "loving and mutually supportive", with no record of domestic violence or police involvement, the court heard. Berman was described as a "very supportive and loving wife". Prosecutors said Mr Berman’s family noticed unusual aspects of the defendant’s behaviour in the days following his death. "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," Mr Brady said. The prosecutor told jurors that Berman's explanation that her husband's injury had been caused accidentally was initially accepted by police. The court heard that Mr Berman had been diagnosed with dementia, used a walking stick and had been suffering from shortness of breath in the 10 days prior to his death. "However, he had been in the best health his family had seen for some time," Mr Brady added. 'You don't think I've murdered him, do you?' Berman asks police officer Earlier on March 13, Mr Berman had been with his daughter and great-granddaughter at a play centre. Jurors were told Berman called 999 that afternoon and administered CPR under the instructions of the operator. Jurors also heard that when asked what happened, Berman 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 to arrive found Mr Berman lying on his back on the kitchen floor, the court heard. After a police officer arrived and spoke with Berman, she is said to have told him: "You don't think I've murdered him, do you?" Prosecutors said the officer also spoke with Mr Berman’s son, who said his father was "clumsy" and "always falling". The death was not initially treated as suspicious, but five days later a post-mortem examination raised concerns, the court heard. Berman was arrested on suspicion of murder later that evening. During interview, she said she and her husband had both had lunch in the lounge and that he had offered to take her tray into the kitchen. She told police: "And he obviously walked into the kitchen, and I heard what sounded like a stumble or a fall. And straight away I said: 'Oh my God, David, what's wrong?' He said: 'It's okay, I've slipped.' "And I sort of almost immediately heard another sort of bang and a sort of groan. So I got up. I screamed and I ran into the kitchen. "And I found him face down. He was making the most peculiar sound, I sort of looked down, moved his head a bit. And I thought: 'What on earth is all this gravy? We don't have gravy.' And it was the amount of blood - I've never seen anything like it in my life. "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.'" Mitigating, Michael Hayton KC said this was a domestic incident against a backdrop that was "not familiar" to the court. "This was not premeditated but short lived violence," he said. He accepted that due to her age, whatever sentence she received would be effectively a "whole-life term". Detective Inspector Alex Wilkinson, from Greater Manchester Police's Major Incident Team, said ahead of the sentencing hearing: "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."