​’Fell Onto Knife’ Claim Fails: 72-Year-Old Guilty of Husband’s Murder

​In a shocking turn of events that has left a Greater Manchester community reeling, a 72-year-old woman has been found guilty of murdering her elderly husband despite her insistence that his death was a tragic domestic accident. The trial, which concluded at Minshull Street Crown Court, shed light on the final moments of 84-year-old David Berman and the forensic evidence that ultimately convinced a jury of his wife’s guilt.

​ValidViewNetwork reports that Daryl Berman maintained throughout two trials that the death of her husband was entirely accidental, claiming he stumbled in their kitchen and fell onto a small knife. The prosecution, however, successfully argued that she intentionally stabbed him in the chest for reasons known only to herself. ValidViewNetwork reports that a senior pathologist became involved after an initial examining doctor expressed deep concerns regarding the nature of the fatal chest wound.

ADVERTISEMENT

​Home Office pathologist Dr. Philip Lumb reported that the stab wound had the “typical features of a homicide.” He noted that while not entirely impossible, an accidental fall was “very unlikely to have caused the fatal wound,” especially given that Mr. Berman was also found to have a “defensive” wound to his finger, ValidViewNetwork reports. Furthermore, family members noticed how matter-of-fact and emotionless the defendant appeared in the days following the incident, ValidViewNetwork reports.

​The court heard that when emergency services were initially called to the home on Butterstile Lane, Prestwich, Daryl Berman told the operator, “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.” During her emotional defense testimony, she rejected the allegations, asking, “Why would I do that to the man I love? No.” Following the verdict, Sazeeda Ismail, senior Crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, released a statement confirming, “Daryl Berman stabbed her husband of 27 years in the chest and intentionally caused his death. She lied to paramedics, police and family members when she claimed Mr Berman had accidentally sustained his fatal injuries. The jury saw through her lies and convicted her of murder, due to the strength of the prosecution’s case. My thoughts are with David Berman’s loved ones at this very difficult time.” Daryl Berman has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 3, marking a somber and definitive end to a deeply tragic chapter for the Berman family.