NYC Cannibal 'Butcher of Tompkins Square Park' Moved to Lower-Security Hospital Wing

Daniel Rakowitz, infamously known as the "Butcher of Tompkins Square Park," has been transferred to a lower-security wing of the Wards Island psychiatric hospital, placing him closer to potential freedom, according to sources. Rakowitz, who was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity in 1991, was previously housed at the maximum-security Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center.

His move to the Manhattan Psychiatric Center, a more modern facility on the same island, occurred approximately two years ago. Hospital employees have expressed alarm over this relocation, citing concerns about reduced security measures and the potential for premature release. "Ninety-nine percent of patients who are released" first move to lower security, a source noted, adding that Rakowitz may be among those eventually freed.

The state Office of Mental Health declined to comment on Rakowitz's specific case due to confidentiality laws. However, it is understood that while a judge determines a patient's release, decisions about transfers to transitional housing, a final step before community reintegration, do not require judicial approval.

Rakowitz gained notoriety in 1989 for the murder of his roommate, Monika Beerle. He dismembered her body, cooked parts of it, and served a soup made from her remains to homeless individuals in Tompkins Square Park. He was committed to Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center in 1991 instead of serving time in state prison.

In February 2005, a Manhattan Supreme Court justice denied Rakowitz's request for a transfer to a less secure facility. During that hearing, Rakowitz described in a police video how he boiled his victim's body to better manage the remains, a confession that reportedly disturbed jurors.

Gary Galperin, who prosecuted Rakowitz's case for 32 years, stated that Rakowitz has long sought release from Kirby. Galperin noted that Rakowitz struggled to articulate his treatment goals, a sign, in Galperin's view, that he had not met the criteria for advancement. "He has long been considered a psychopath," Galperin told The Post, adding that Rakowitz has offered numerous conflicting accounts of the crime, a behavior he finds deeply troubling.

The hospital has been transferring criminal patients to the civilian side of Manhattan Psychiatric Center since 2020 to manage capacity. This consolidation has led to concerns among staff about blurring the lines between criminal and civil patient care.

Instances of patients leaving the facility have also raised alarm. In one case, a patient from the hospital's transitional housing allegedly stabbed a tourist in a Macy's department store in Midtown Manhattan last year. The suspect in that incident faces attempted murder charges.

Former "The View" co-host Sunny Hostin recently resurfaced the case by claiming she was the sole holdout juror who prevented Rakowitz from going to prison, a claim that has been disputed by sources who identified the holdout juror as a man.