The murder trial of a 71-year-old woman accused of killing her husband at their Greater Manchester home has ended without a verdict after the jury became deadlocked.
Trial Ends in Deadlock
Daryl Berman had denied murdering her 84-year-old husband, David Berman, at their home on Butterstile Lane in Prestwich, Bury. She described the incident on March 13 this year as the 'most horrendous accident'. Following an eight-day trial at Minshull Street Crown Court, a jury of five men and five women deliberated for more than seven hours but could not reach a unanimous or majority verdict.
Judge Tina Landale was forced to discharge the jury. She granted prosecutors time to consider whether they will seek a retrial. Two jurors had previously been discharged from the case due to illness.
Contrasting Accounts of a Fatal Stabbing
The prosecution alleged that Mrs Berman intentionally stabbed her husband in the chest 'for a reason known only to her'. Michael Brady KC, prosecuting, told the court that a Home Office pathologist, Dr Philip Lumb, concluded the stab wound had 'typical features of a homicide' and that an accidental fall was 'very unlikely' to have caused it.
Mr Berman was also found to have a cut on his finger, which the prosecution suggested could have been a defensive wound. However, the court heard the couple's 27-year marriage was described as 'loving and mutually supportive' with no history of domestic violence.
In her defence, Daryl Berman claimed her husband's death was a tragic accident. She told the jury that on the afternoon of March 13, her husband had offered to carry a tray into the kitchen for her. She said she then heard a noise 'like a fall or a stumble', followed by a groan.
'I saw David lying face down. He was motionless, making a gurgling sound, with blood everywhere,' she testified. She called 999 at 1.55pm. Paramedics arrived but David Berman was pronounced dead at the scene at 2.39pm.
A Wife's Testimony and Unusual Behaviour
Taking the stand, Mrs Berman, who wore a black cardigan and thick glasses, became emotional as she recounted the event. She vehemently denied killing her husband. 'Did you murder your husband?' her barrister, Michael Hayton KC, asked. 'I did not,' she replied.
The prosecution highlighted that Mr Berman's family found her behaviour in the days after his death to be 'matter of fact and emotionless'. Mrs Berman revealed that after police initially treated the death as an accident, she lay next to her husband's body at least four times without telling anyone.
'I lay down next to David. I kissed him and I stroked his arm. I did it quite a few times,' she said, breaking down in court. She also told jurors that later that evening, after everyone had left, she wrote 'bye bye' with two kisses and a heart on the March 13 entry of her calendar.
The case has been adjourned for a further mention hearing, the date for which is yet to be scheduled.
