Sunny Hostin Reveals Herself as Holdout Juror in Notorious NYC Cannibal Case
The View co-host shared her experience as a holdout juror in the 1989 Daniel Rakowitz murder trial, drawing parallels to a recent mistrial.
Sunny Hostin, a co-host on The View, revealed Tuesday that she was a holdout juror in the high-profile 1989 New York City murder case of Daniel Rakowitz, who was convicted of killing and dismembering a 26-year-old Swiss dancer. The admission came as the panel discussed the recent mistrial in the case of Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts mother accused of killing her children.
Hostin, a former federal prosecutor, identified herself as the lone juror who initially resisted a guilty verdict in the Clancy case, citing the insanity defense. She explained her reasoning, noting that Massachusetts has had an insanity defense for 182 years and that Clancy's defense team argued she lacked criminal responsibility. Hostin stated that she strongly felt Clancy was not criminally responsible by reason of insanity.
Her revelation surprised her co-hosts, including Alyssa Farah Griffin and Joy Behar. Griffin questioned if Hostin had acquitted the defendant, while Behar noted the killer's moniker, 'The Butcher of Tompkins Square Park.'
Hostin recounted that the Rakowitz case occurred before she attended law school. She even produced a newspaper clipping, found by a producer, proving her participation in the 1991 trial and noting her appearance in The New York Times.