Cannibal Butcher Moved To Lower Security Sparks Release Fears

A notorious cannibal known as the 'Butcher of Tompkins Square Park' has been quietly shifted to a lower-security wing of a psychiatric facility. This move is sparking fresh fears about his potential release back into society.

Daniel Rakowitz, 65, faced trial in 1991 after killing and dismembering his roommate Monika Beerle during the summer of 1989. He then fed her remains to homeless people gathering in the park. The court found him not criminally responsible by reason of insanity. He was sent to the maximum-security Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center on Ward's Island.

Sources recently told the New York Post that Rakowitz moved to the Manhattan Psychiatric Center two years ago. This facility sits on Ward's Island but offers less security than his previous location. An anonymous source claimed the center lets people out prematurely every day and speculated he could be one of those leaving soon. They said administration kept it quiet, treating it like a soft opening to get staff used to the idea. Hospital workers were reportedly shocked to see him roaming the lower-security wing.

Patients at Kirby usually enter through court orders, while Manhattan offers inpatient and outpatient services plus transitional living for patients after admission. The Office of Mental Health did not confirm the transfer, citing privacy laws. Rakowitz had petitioned the New York Supreme Court to move to a less secure spot as early as 2010 but was denied that request. Former District Attorney Cyrus Vance stated at the time that keeping him at Kirby continues to protect New York residents.

One witness testified he fed Beerle's remains to the homeless in Tompkins Square Park. Newspaper clippings from the era noted a holdout juror likely influenced the 'not guilty' verdict. Sunny Hostin, co-host of The View, revealed earlier this month that she was the lone holdout juror during a panel discussing the Lindsay Clancy case. That case involved a mother accused of killing her three children. A single juror blocked a 'not guilty' decision based on postpartum psychosis claims, leading to a mistrial.

Hostin explained her stance by recalling her own experience in the Rakowitz trial. She saw clearly that he was psychotic and did not intend to kill Beerle initially. He panicked after the act, chopped up her body parts, boiled them, and tried to commit what he thought was a perfect crime. Yes, he fed those body parts to the unhoused as well.

Rakowitz was a known figure in the East Village before his crimes were fully revealed. He sold marijuana and walked around with a live chicken. Now, this transfer has put many on edge regarding public safety and the justice system's handling of dangerous offenders.

Hostin has been confined within a maximum-security prison for years, though reports indicate she is currently being held at a different facility on Ward's Island. She remembers the jury room as a place of extreme tension during deliberations. At one point, another juror hurled a chair in frustration while arguments raged. Later, newspaper archives uncovered details that cast doubt on her story. These clippings described the holdout juror not as a dedicated citizen but as an unemployed man who wanted to prolong the trial so he could receive pay and free meals.

The New York Times covered the case at the time, noting that one holdout successfully convinced his peers against handing down a guilty verdict. Asuncion Cummings, Hostin's full maiden name, was quoted in the paper after the trial ended. She stated, 'We don't think he intended to kill her. But once he did, he dismembered her body in an effort to commit the perfect crime.'

Once the jury finished their work, Rakowitz thanked them and joked that he hoped someday they could smoke a joint together. He added that while the prosecution had built an overwhelming case against him, he planned to sell marijuana upon release to fund his crusade against those who truly committed the crime. During the trial, Rakowitz told the court he would choose prison over a mental hospital because he refused medication.

Rakowitz denied murdering Beerle, a 29-year-old dance student, yet he admitted to dismembering her body, bleaching her bones, and boiling them. One witness claimed to have seen him serve homeless men soup at a park that contained a human finger. Before these horrific acts, Rakowitz was already a notorious figure in the East Village. He sold marijuana and walked around carrying live chickens. Some knew him as the 'God of Marijuana.