Key facts
- Daryl Berman was found guilty of murdering her 84-year-old husband, David Berman.
- She stabbed him with a vegetable knife in their home kitchen on March 13, 2026.
- Her initial claim that he fell on the knife was disproven by a post-mortem examination.
- She was arrested on suspicion of murder on March 18, 2025.
- A retrial in 2026 led to an 11-1 guilty verdict for murder.
- She was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years.
A woman has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 12 years for the murder of her husband. Daryl Berman, 72, stabbed her 84-year-old husband, David Berman, with a vegetable knife in their Prestwich home on March 13, 2026. She initially claimed he had stumbled and fallen on the knife, but a post-mortem examination revealed the stab wound to the chest had hallmarks of a homicide.
Following the post-mortem findings, Daryl Berman was arrested on suspicion of murder on March 18, 2025. Her first trial in December 2025 ended without a verdict, but a retrial in 2026 resulted in an 11-1 guilty verdict for murder. The prosecution argued that the post-mortem evidence and inconsistencies in her story proved she deliberately stabbed her husband.
During sentencing, Judge Tina Landale stated that it appeared something happened between the couple that caused Daryl Berman to attack her husband with the knife, though the specific trigger remains unknown. The judge was satisfied that the intent was to cause serious bodily harm rather than to kill, noting it was a domestic incident within a seemingly happy marriage.
Detective Inspector Alex Wilkinson commented that David Berman should have been safe in his own home but was killed by the person he trusted most. The case has caused shock in the Prestwich community, raising questions about domestic safety and elder abuse.