Former Menudo Member Says He Was Raped By Father Of The Menendez Brothers
Roy Rosselló, who was a member of the boy band Menudo between the ages of 13 and 16, has alleged that he was sexually assaulted by music manager Jose Menendez, the father of the Menendez brothers.
In 1996, Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of murdering their father and their mother, Mary Louise, in 1989. During the infamous trial, the Menendez brothers claimed that they killed their father after enduring years of sexual and physical abuse. They were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, though defense layers have lodged multiple appeals with the court in the decades since the verdict, arguing that the charges should be reduced to manslaughter because the brothers committed the crime out of fear for their life. Prosecutors argued that instead Lyle and Erik Menendez were motivated by gaining access to their parents’ wealthy estate.
Rosselló comes forward with this claim in a new three-part docuseries set to air on Peacock next month, which was previewed in a segment that aired on the Today show this morning. As The New York Times reports, in new interviews for the series Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, Rosselló alleges that Jose Menendez, who signed Menudo as an executive at RCA Records, sexually abused him during his time in the group. “I know what he did to me in his house,” he says in a clip aired on Today, alleging that Jose Menendez drugged and raped him during a visit to the Menendez home in New Jersey when Rosselló was 14.
In the past, Rosselló and other members of Menudo have gone public with sexual abuse claims against others involved with the boy band (though not Menendez specifically), including in the HBO documentary Menudo: Forever Young, which aired last year. It’s unclear what, if any, impact Rosselló’s new allegations could have on the Menendez brothers case. Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed will premiere on Peacock on May 2.
If you or someone you know is undergoing sexual abuse, please visit rainn.org or contact the National Sexual Assault Helpline at 1-800-656-4673.