Notorious NYC cannibal moved to lower-security wing, edging toward possible release

Daniel Rakowitz, known for the 1989 murder of his roommate Monkia Beerle and the subsequent gruesome acts in Tompkins Square Park, was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity in 1991 and committed to Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center on Ward’s Island. Since 2020, many criminal patients have been transferred from the original maximum-security facility to the newer Manhattan Psychiatric Center. Rakowitz was quietly moved to the civilian side of that center roughly two years ago, reducing the level of security around him.

Hospital employees voiced concern, describing the shift as a “soft opening” that normalizes his presence and warning that releasing patients too early could be risky. The state Office of Mental Health declined to comment due to confidentiality rules, and any eventual release would require a judicial decision.