Butcher of Tompkins Square Park moved to low-security psychiatric wing

Daniel Rakowitz, identified by the moniker "Butcher of Tompkins Square Park," is now positioned closer to freedom following his relocation to a low-security ward within New York City’s Manhattan Psychiatric Center. The move was reported by the New York Post and marks a significant shift in the status of the man convicted of a gruesome 1989 homicide.

The 1989 murder and dismemberment

The case traces back to 1989, when Rakowitz killed his roommate, Monika Beerle. After the murder, he dismembered her body and cooked portions of it. He subsequently prepared a soup that he claimed contained her brain and fingers, which he served to homeless individuals in Tompkins Square Park without their knowledge of its contents.

In 1991, a jury determined that Rakowitz, currently 65 years old, was not guilty of murder by reason of insanity. Instead of incarceration, he was committed to Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center on Wards Island. In February 2005, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Donna Mills denied his request for transfer to a less restrictive facility. During that hearing, jurors viewed police footage in which Rakowitz described killing his girlfriend, cutting up her body, and boiling it. He stated he did so "so I could handle the meat better." In a 1989 confession recording, he remarked, "I had to deal with a lot of rotten meat and maggots."

Transfer to lower-security facilities

Since 2020, New York State has begun transferring more than 200 forensic patients from the maximum-security Kirby facility to a less secure section of the nearby and newer Manhattan Psychiatric Center. A source told the New York Post that Rakowitz was moved approximately two years ago to the civil patient section, reducing the level of security surrounding him. The source noted that "99% of patients who are released" pass through this lower-security phase first, suggesting Rakowitz could be among those eventually discharged.

This reclassification has raised concerns among some hospital staff. According to the source, the process effectively removes barriers between forensic and civil patients, describing the removal of these distinctions as "a very bad idea."

Transitional housing and recent incidents

The center also houses transitional living units, typically the final stage before full release. Last year, a female patient exited these units and went to a Macy's store in Manhattan, where she stabbed a California tourist while the victim was changing her child's diaper. Court documents indicate Kerry Ahern, aged 43, was charged with attempted murder of the tourist.

The facility faces additional pressure due to bed shortages, as it receives inmates from Rikers Island requiring treatment and competency evaluations for court appearances.

Legal hurdles for release

Rakowitz’s eventual release requires a judicial decision because he was hospitalized under court order. However, judges do not have authority over transfers to transitional housing. The New York State Office of Mental Health, which oversees the Manhattan Psychiatric Center, cited confidentiality laws preventing discussion of Rakowitz’s specific case.

Gary Galprin, former Manhattan Assistant District Attorney who handled Rakowitz’s case for 32 years and monitored his hospital reviews until 2023, stated that Rakowitz has "always been considered mentally ill." Galprin, now an adjunct professor at Cardozo School of Law, noted that Rakowitz spent "many, many years" attempting to leave Kirby, claiming he had complied with all requirements and deserved progression to lower-security phases.

When Galprin questioned Rakowitz about his treatment goals in front of a judge, Rakowitz failed to articulate them despite having been informed of them "hundreds and hundreds of times." Galprin observed, "You clearly haven't achieved your goals if you don't know your goals," to which Rakowitz replied, "Yes, that's right." Galprin further indicated that Rakowitz provided "dozens of different accounts" regarding the crime.

Sunny Hostin's juror claim

The case resurfaced this week after Sunny Hostin, co-host of "The View," stated she was the sole juror who persuaded colleagues to find Rakowitz not criminally responsible by reason of insanity during his 1991 trial. Hostin made the comment during a discussion about Lindsay Clancy’s insanity defense, referencing the single holdout juror in that case. She later maintained her assertion to the New York Post, though sources confirmed the holdout juror in Rakowitz’s trial was male.