A British woman on trial in connection with her husband’s death allegedly wrote “bye bye” on a calendar entry for the day he died, adding affectionate doodles, a court heard this week.
Daryl Berman, 71, is on trial over the March death of her husband, 84-year-old David Berman, in Bury, a suburb of Manchester, England.
David died on March 13 after being injured with a knife, according to the Manchester Evening News and The Bury Times. Investigators initially believed the death was accidental, but a doctor who was “troubled” by the injuries sought an expert opinion, per the Manchester Evening News.
Daryl — described by the Manchester Evening News as a former nurse — was charged with murder in May, the BBC reported at the time.
She denies the allegation and maintains that her husband fell onto a knife in their kitchen, per the Manchester Evening News and The Bury Times.
During testimony this week, Daryl told the court that after hearing a fall, she ran into the kitchen and found David face down and making a “gurgling noise,” according to The Bury Times.
Jurors also heard evidence that her calendar entry for March 13 included the words “Bye bye,” alongside “two kisses” and a “heart,” the Manchester Evening News and The Bury Times reported. Asked about the note in court, she acknowledged writing it and said it was something she had done before.
“I put it on at the end of the day when everyone had gone and I was ready to go to bed,” she said, according to The Bury Times.
She also testified that David had become forgetful and “was just not coping that well,” The Bury Times reported.
The court heard that the couple were known as “loving and mutually supportive” and had no history with law enforcement or domestic violence.
The trial continues.
