Sunny Hostin's Juror Claim Questioned by 1991 Newspaper Reports

Newly surfaced newspaper reports from 1991 appear to cast doubt on "The View" co-host Sunny Hostin's recent assertion that she was the sole holdout juror who spared Daniel Rakowitz, a New York City man convicted of a gruesome 1989 murder, from a murder conviction.

Hostin, 57, stated on a recent episode of "The View" that she was the lone juror who prevented Rakowitz's murder conviction, believing him to be not guilty by reason of insanity. Rakowitz killed his girlfriend, Monika Beerle, in 1989, dismembered her body, and boiled parts of it.

However, a New York Daily News report from the time of the 1991 trial, unearthed by the Daily Mail, indicated that the holdout juror was an unemployed man who allegedly refused to convict because he wanted to continue receiving his $15-a-day jury payment. Another juror, Valerie Holmes, was quoted in the report describing the holdout as "very determined, very manipulative and he didn't mind how long he stayed here."

Hostin, identified in the 1991 reporting under her maiden name Asuncion Cummings, had spoken to the Daily News at the time. In those interviews, she acknowledged that the jury believed Rakowitz had committed the murder, but still held reservations about his criminal responsibility. "Yes, we believe (Rakowitz) did it. I believe he butchered the body and almost committed the perfect crime. He knew what he was doing," she was quoted as saying.

In contrast to her recent comments, Hostin's past statements to The New York Times offered a slightly different perspective, while still suggesting Rakowitz may not have intended to kill Beerle. "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," one report stated, though it did not mention Hostin being a holdout juror.

A Newsday story from the same period suggested there were two holdouts on the jury. Hostin also spoke to Newsday, reportedly stating that a compromise was reached and that "it is obvious to me he butchered the body and he literally got away with murder. He attempted to commit the perfect crime." This account also did not identify her as a holdout.

On "The View," Hostin defended the role of holdout jurors, referencing a recent murder mistrial where one juror's stance led to a divided verdict. "Jury duty is duty. It is one of the most important things I think I’ve ever done in my life," she said. "It was extremely difficult, but to investigate a juror for doing his or her duty is despicable."

Following his trial, Rakowitz was committed to Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center on Wards Island and was later transferred to the Manhattan Psychiatric Center in 2020, according to The New York Post.