An Alameda County Superior Court judge has suspended the criminal case against the man accused of stabbing five people — one fatally — in Oakland’s Fruitvale district last month, after concerns arose about the man’s mental fitness to stand trial.
Judge Rozlynn Silvaggio ordered Jose Jesus Rodriguez, 34, to undergo a psychological exam that could determine whether the jailed man’s prosecution resumes later this year, or whether he’s sent for an indefinite stay at a state hospital for treatment. The move came after Rodriguez’s public defender questioned his mental competency at an Aug. 31 court hearing.
The issue pertains solely to whether or not Rodriguez understands court proceedings and can aid in his own defense — making it a completely separate legal question from Rodriguez’s mental state at the time of the stabbings. The matter has no bearing on whether or not Rodriguez’s attorneys could seek an insanity defense at trial, should one be held.
Rodriguez is due to return to court on Oct. 16, when the results of that exam are expected to be made public. If a judge rules that Rodriguez is mentally incompetent, then he will be sent to a state hospital for treatment until he’s once again considered fit to stand trial; such hospital stays can last months or even years.
Rodriguez faces a slew of felony charges — including one count of murder, four counts of attempted murder and one count of assault with a deadly weapon — in an Aug. 24 stabbing spree that began at Cesar Chavez Park in the city’s Fruitvale district.
Oakland police suspect Rodriguez fatally stabbed 58-year-old Gonsalo Lopez just before 7:30 p.m. that evening, then moving on to stab a 47-year-old man at 38th Avenue and San Leandro Street, a 31-year-old man near the Fruitvale BART Station in the 3800 block of San Leandro Street, and a 52-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man, both near 39th Avenue and International Boulevard.
Police have said all five people were attacked at random and that the suspect did not know any of them. Rodriguez, whom authorities have said is unhoused, remains held without bail at Santa Rita Jail.
The stabbings mirrored multiple other alleged attacks by Rodriguez, who has faced past concerns about his mental health.
In June 2019, Oakland police say Rodriguez stabbed one of his passengers while working as an Uber driver in deep East Oakland, before stabbing a nearby garbage collector, all while wielding a large kitchen knife, authorities claimed in court records. Later that night, Rodriguez was allegedly seen throwing glass bottles at another person, the records show.
Rodriguez pleaded no contest to assault with a deadly weapon in that case and was sentenced to six years in prison.
While later out on parole, Rodriguez was arrested several more times from spring 2025 through early 2026, often after authorities found him fighting or beating others around him, court records show. Repeatedly, authorities were told that he appeared to be suffering from mental health issues and – on at least one occasion – was hearing voices, according to the records.
Jakob Rodgers is a senior breaking news reporter. Call, text or send him an encrypted message via Signal at 510-390-2351, or email him at jrodgers@bayareanewsgroup.com.