Former Menudo member Roy Rosselló has come forward with a bombshell allegation against Jose Menendez, the deceased father of the Menendez brothers.
In the upcoming Peacock docuseries “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed,” Rosselló claimed that the former music executive drugged and raped him when he was a member of the iconic Puerto Rican boy band in the early 1980s. In 1989, Jose and his wife Kitty were brutally slain by their sons Lyle and Erik in the den of their Beverly Hills mansion.
Throughout their heavily-publicized trial, the Menendez brothers maintained that they murdered Jose after being subjected to years of sexual abuse.
“That’s the man here that raped me,” Rosselló said as he pointed at a photo of Jose in a teaser for the series that was released by the “Today” show on Tuesday.
Former Menudo member Roy Rosselló, middle, alleged that he was raped by the father of the Menendez brothers. (Getty)
He continued, “That’s the guy. That’s the pedophile.”
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Rosselló, who is now 51, went on to say that he was 14 at the time of the alleged assault. Menudo, which became a global sensation and paved the way for the boy band model, was formed in 1977 by producer Edgardo Díaz. The band was also known for launching the career of Ricky Martin. Rosselló joined Menudo in 1983 when he was 13-years-old but later quit in 1986 at the age of 16.
In the teaser, Rosselló also accused Díaz of sexually abusing him during his time in Menudo. He said Díaz brought him to the Menendez home in New Jersey where he was allegedly assaulted by Jose.
Roy Rosselló made the allegations against Jose Menendez in the upcoming docuseries “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed.” (Getty )
In November 1983, the New York Times reported that Menudo signed a long-term contract with RCA Records. The outlet interviewed Jose, who was the division executive vice president of RCA Records at the time and was involved with the company’s future plans for the band.
Several former Menudo members have previously accused Díaz of sexually abusing them during their stints in the band. Their allegations were detailed in the 2022 HBO Max docuseries “Menudo: Forever Young.” Díaz has strongly denied all allegations of sexual abuse.
Erik and Lyle Menendez were arrested in 1990 and convicted of first-degree murder in 1996. The brothers’ defense hinged on their testimony that they had endured years of sexual abuse by Jose. They stated that Jose threatened to kill them when they told him that they planned to expose his alleged abuse.
Prosecutors argued that the brothers were motivated to kill their parents in order to inherit their father’s $14 million estate. They noted that the two went on an exorbitant spending spree in the aftermath of their parents’ murders. The Menendez brothers were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Erik and Lyle’s attempts to appeal the verdict have not been successful.
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According to the teaser for “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed,” journalists Robert Rand and Nery Ynclan first made the connection between Menudo and Menendez. In the clip, Rand was seen telling the brothers about Rosselló’s allegations.
Erik said that he felt “horrible” and “very sad” upon hearing the news. “It’s sad to know there was another victim of my father, you know I always hoped and believed that one day the truth about my dad would come out,” he said in the clip. “But I never wished for it to come out like this — the result of trauma that another child has suffered.”
Erik, left, and Lyle Menendez are serving life in prison without parole for the 1989 murder of Jose and their mother Kitty. (Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images)
In the clip, Lyle said that it was “overwhelming” to hear about the new allegations though he added that they had heard “rumors about something might have happened with Menudo through the years.”
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“It’s a remarkable thing to happen so many decades later,” Lyle said. “Of course you know that that would have made a difference at trial. It would have made an enormous difference because the entire trial centered on the belief about these events.”
The three-part docuseries is set to begin airing on Peacock on May 2.
If you or someone you know is suffering from abuse, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.