Wife brutally stabbed husband of 30 years to death – she then told sickening lie

A woman has been jailed for life after she stabbed her husband to death. Daryl Berman, 72, appeared in court this morning (3 July) for sentence, after being convicted of murdering her husband, David Berman. She was jailed for life to serve a minimum term of 12 years. Her time spent in custody, 192 days, will be subtracted from the minimum term.

Mr Berman suffered a fatal chest wound, and also had a stab wound to his right middle finger which prosecutors said was a common self-defensive injury. Berman, 72, told the authorities her husband, 84, suffered a tragic accident at their home in Prestwich, Manchester, on March 13 last year.

She claimed the 84-year-old had fell over in their kitchen and landed on a ‘little paring knife’ she had used for her lunch. But a jury found her guilty of murder following a retrial, after jurors at an earlier trial were unable to reach verdicts. Michael Brady KC, prosecuting, addressed the court and confirmed Berman was convicted after trial of the murder of Mr Berman.

Sentencing, Judge Tina Landale, said: “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 had 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.”

Mitigating, Michael Hayton KC said this was a domestic incident against the backdrop that was ‘not familiar’ to the court.

He said that the family had previously spoken about Berman ‘nurturing’ her husband back to health. On the day in question she had arranged for him to be in contact with his GP and checked in on him during the day, he said.

“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’.