There had to be a reason that Oakland police were being so cagey about the identity of the suspect in Monday's deadly stabbing spree, and now we know what it is.

Late Wednesday, the suspect in Monday's East Oakland stabbing spree was identified as 34-year-old Jose Jesus Rodriguez. Rodriguez was on parole after spending time in prison for a previous stabbing spree in 2019, as KTVU reports, and court records show that a parole officer had already tried to raise alarm bells about Rodriguez's reportedly "escalating" behavior.

We previously learned that Rodriguez was homeless, and that has apparently been the case for some time. Rodriguez also suffers from mental illness, and a clear pattern of violence dates back at least seven years if not longer.

Rodriguez has been on supervised parole since 2023, after going to prison for stabbing both an Uber driver and a garbage collector in 2019. Per KTVU, court records also mention two other incidents, one in which he reportedly head-butted a police officer and tried to bite off the officer's ear, and another in which he was allegedly swinging a wooden board "like an axe" at two people.

As KTVU further reports, a parole officer wrote last year, "There are no programs to appropriately address Rodriguez’s escalating behavior. Rodriguez’s recent behavior poses a significant threat to the community."

KTVU says that they made an effort to contact the parole agent, but they would not comment.

The case will naturally raise questions about Rodriguez's parole and his capacity for rehabilitation, and also about whether any underlying mental health issues had been addressed.

Rodriguez is accused of fatally stabbing 58-year-old Gonzalo Lopez in a seemingly random attack in Cesar Chavez Park on Monday evening. From there, Rodriguez allegedly went on a rampage, stabbing a homeless man who was lying on the ground at a nearby gas station, stabbing a third victim at the Fruitvale BART station, and stabbing two more people on the sidewalk nearby on International Boulevard.

As the Chronicle notes, Rodriguez is currently being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of murder and assault with a deadly weapon, with special allegations including the previous serious felony conviction.

Legal analyst Steven Clark tells KTVU that a case like this may, understandably, cause the community to "feel that the pendulum has swung too far in favor of the defendant instead of public safety."

Previously: Suspect In Oakland Stabbing Spree Was Homeless, Police Say; Victim Often Fed Homeless In Park