The third wife of a Jewish businessman and great grandfather has appeared in court charged with his murder – three months after he was found dead at his upmarket home.
Businessman David Berman, 84, was described by neighbours as a ‘lovely man’ with a ‘big heart’.
Mr Berman, who was married three times and a ‘well-known’ member of Manchester’s Jewish community, had only retired recently after running his own joinery firm.
His widow Daryl Berman, 70, appeared at Manchester Magistrates’ Court this morning charged with murder.
The court was told Berman allegedly murdered her husband ‘on or about 13th March 2025’.
Berman, who has shoulder-length blonde hair, wore a black cardigan, black top and gold necklace, and black jeans.
She spoke only to confirm her name, date of birth and the address she shared with her husband in Prestwich, Greater Manchester.
After a brief two-minute hearing, Berman – married to her husband for over 26 years – was remanded in custody pending a bail application hearing at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court tomorrow.
Mr Berman was found on March 13 at his £500,000 detached home on a leafy street, where he had lived for over 20 years.
Greater Manchester Police said that after ‘initial enquiries’ and a post-mortem examination, the injuries he sustained were deemed ‘suspicious’.
Neighbours said they had been left in ‘shock’ by the tragedy, after which his home was searched by Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) and Specialist Search Team officers.
Police were seen going in and out of the property with items brought out in clear bags.
One neighbour of Mr Berman, who lived in Butterstile Lane, a tree-lined street of 1930s detached and semi-detached houses, said: ‘He was a nice guy. I would see him going up and down the street to get his paper.
‘I would have a crack with him. ‘It’s a bit of a shock. I just can’t believe it. It’s not something you expect to happen on your doorstep.’
Another local said: ‘He was a lovely, well-mannered gentleman. He seemed like he had a big heart. When we moved in, he was the first to come and say hello and see if we were okay.
‘He was just a really nice person. He wouldn’t say anything bad about anybody. He was a carpenter, and he only retired last year, which goes to show what he was like. It’s a big shock.’
Other residents on the street also described Mr Berman as ‘lovely.’
One said: ‘He was a lovely man, very friendly with all the neighbours. People knew both of them and it came as an absolute shock. We are very saddened.’
A further neighbour told how Mr Berman would talk to her partner about cars.
She said: ‘He had a van for a while and he used to chat about cars. She (Daryl) would talk to me but she would keep her distance, she would hide behind the front door while she was talking – you didn’t see her.
‘They were both nice and it’s so shocking that this has happened.’
Debora Strong, a regular at coffee shop Butty Style on Butterstile Lane, who has lived in the area for over 40 years, said of Mr Berman: ‘He was a gentleman, he was really lovely.’
The owner of Butty Style added: ‘He walked past the coffee shop every day to go and get his paper and we felt like we were part of his schedule. It’s very shocking and sad.’
At dog boutique Pet’s Pantry, a worker said Mr Berman used to pop in with their dog when it was a pup.
She said: ‘He used to bring a puppy in. He was a lovely man and he would walk past the shop with his walking stick.’
In an interview with the Jewish Telegraph prior to his retirement on turning 84 last September, he said: ‘What I have enjoyed the most is the variety of work that I did.
‘My biggest accomplishment was being kept busy for as long as I have.
‘I have taken the decision to retire mainly based on my health and the fact that work was not coming in as it used to.’
He told the newspaper the profession runs in his family – with maternal grandfather, Joe Pollick, having been a joiner and his great-uncles also in the trade.
He left school at 15 to work for Mr Pollick as an apprentice.
The Jewish Telegraph said Mr Berman was born in Manchester but never met his father Isisdore Aarons, who was killed in action in Egypt during the Second World War.
He was raised by his mother Muriel and maternal grandparents, Fanny and Joe, before his mother remarried, to Jack Berman, when David was five.
Mr Berman had three wives – having been married first wife Marlene for 19 years, with whom he had two children, daughter Debbie and son Daryl, then to Jean for seven years.
He was then married to Daryl, for 26 years, and had four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Daryl Berman is believed to have been married once before.
On retirement, Mr Berman – who enjoyed making furniture by hand, as well as joinery – said the career is no longer a job for a Jewish boy ‘as it is too manual’.