Exclusive | Sunny Hostins claim that she was lone holdout in 1991 NYC cannibalism trial shot down by multiple sources from the time

“The View” co-host Sunny Hostin sensationally claimed on-air that she was the lone holdout juror who forced a notorious NYC cannibal killer to be found not guilty by reason of insanity — but multiple sources from the time directly refute her story, The Post can reveal.“Several jurors questioned afterwards said one holdout juror was principally responsible for preventing them from returning a guilty verdict,” Hostin read aloud from a New York Times article from the 1991 trial on Tuesday.“That was me,” she asserted.

Hostin, 57, told the tale of being the lone jury holdout in the “Butcher of Tompkins Square Park” case as she discussed the parallels between that case and Lindsay Clancy’s own insanity defense.But 35 years ago, jurors told The Post, Newsday, the Daily News and the Associated Press that the actual holdout was an unemployed man who wanted to keep the trial going so he could continue getting paid by the court for his civic duty.A law enforcement source from the time also told The Post this week that the holdout was a man.“He was unemployed and liked the $15 a day and the three free meals,” juror Valerie Holmes told Newsday in the aftermath of the verdict.

“He liked that we were arguing on and on.”Holmes reiterated the claim to The Post and The Daily News, describing the holdout as being “very determined” and “manipulative” man determined to get his way.“From day one, this particular person was determined that the jury was going to find Rakowitz not guilty by reason of mental disease,” jury forewoman Lois Markle told the AP at the time.Meanwhile, Hostin was quoted as a juror on the case in multiple news clips at the time — but she did not identify herself as the holdout, nor did any of the fellow jurors who talked to the press after the trial.Her statement to Newsday from the time even seemed to contradict her story.“We had to compromise.But it is obvious to me he butchered the body and he literally got away wit...