Sunny Hostin reveals she was holdout juror in 1991 cannibal murder case
The View co-host says she was the lone juror who convinced others to find Daniel Rakowitz not guilty by reason of insanity.
What to know
- Sunny Hostin disclosed on The View that she was the lone holdout juror in the 1991 trial of Daniel Rakowitz, the 'Butcher of Tompkins Square Park,' who killed and dismembered his roommate.
- Hostin convinced the other 11 jurors during nine days of sequestration to unanimously vote Rakowitz not guilty by reason of insanity, arguing he was psychotic and not criminally responsible.
- The revelation shocked her co-hosts; a 1991 New York Times article confirmed her account with a direct quote from juror Asuncion Cummings (her maiden name).
- Rakowitz was sent to a state psychiatric hospital rather than prison after the verdict.
“All that being said, it was so clear to me in the jury room. And we were sequestered for nine days, one juror threw a chair at me. They were so angry with me but one by one I picked them off and said, 'What about this? What about that?' and we ended up, all 12, unanimously voting that he was not criminally responsible by reason of insanity.”
Sunny Hostin, The View co-host, former federal prosecutor · Daily Wire ↗
Sunny Hostin The View co-host and former federal prosecutorDaniel Rakowitz Defendant in 1991 murder trialMonika Beerle Victim
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
-
1
New York Times article from 1991 confirms Hostin's account with direct quote
A producer located the original Feb. 23, 1991 New York Times coverage quoting a juror named Asuncion Cummings (Hostin's maiden name), saying "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." The article notes that jurors questioned afterward identified one holdout as principally responsible for preventing a guilty verdict.
“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.”
— Asuncion Cummings (Sunny Hostin) -
Sunny Hostin reveals she was the holdout juror in infamous 'Butcher' murder trial https://www. usatoday.com/story/entertainme nt/celebrities/2026/09/23/sunny-hostin-holdout-juror-daniel-rakowitz-murder-trial/91906941007/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub Posted into Entertainment @ entertainment-USAToday
1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch
-
U
https://www. europesays.com/us/1081601/ Sunny Hostin reveals she was holdout juror in 1991 ‘Butcher of Tompkins Square Park’ trial # Entertainment # UnitedStates # UnitedStates # US
-
-
background
Hostin's co-hosts express shock at her jury role — Panelist Alyssa Farah Griffin audibly gasped and asked "you were on that jury?" and later "And you got this guy off?!" Co-host Star Jones joked about moving seats, while other panelists appeared visibly uncomfortable during the revelation.
-
2
Sunny Hostin reveals on The View she was the Rakowitz holdout juror
During a panel discussion about the Lindsay Clancy insanity defense case, Hostin disclosed that she was the lone juror initially resisting conviction in the Rakowitz trial. She described seeing clear signs of psychosis and detailed how she persuaded the other 11 jurors over nine days, including one who threw a chair at her in frustration.
“That was me, and it was because clearly I saw he was psychotic, he was in psychosis, he did not mean to kill her and once he killed her he panicked.”
— Sunny Hostin -
3 outlets first by NY Post, 14h ago · also TMZ, Breitbart · read ↗
-
2 outlets first by Fox News, 13h ago · also NBC News · read ↗
-
-
background
Rakowitz found not guilty by reason of insanity in jury trial — After a nine-day sequestration, the jury unanimously voted that Rakowitz was not criminally responsible by reason of mental disease. He was sent to a state psychiatric hospital rather than prison.
-
background
Daniel Rakowitz kills roommate Monika Beerle in East Village — Rakowitz, a drug dealer and eccentric, punched Beerle in the throat during a fight, suffocating her. He then dismembered her body and boiled her head for soup, disposing of her remains and claiming to have fed parts to homeless people.