Roy Rossello: Former Menudo boy band member alleges Menendez brothers' father drugged and raped him
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised.
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BRAZIL, SOUTH AMERICA: Roy Rossello, a former member of the '80s Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, has alleged that he was sexually assaulted by music manager Jose Menendez, the father of Lyle and Erik Menendez who killed their father in 1989, and was convicted in 1996. In the upcoming true-crime docuseries, ‘Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed', which is set to air on Peacock on May 2, 2023, Roy says pointing to a photo of Jose, “That’s the man here that raped me. That's the pedophile."
Roy, who is now 51, is heard saying in a clip from the docuseries, which first aired on the Today show, "I know what he did to me in his house," alleging that Jose drugged and raped him during a visit to the Menendez home in New Jersey when Roy was 14, reports ET Online.
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Who was Jose Menendez?
As per Variety, Jose, who was born in Cuba to wealthy parents, was the head of RCA Records during the time when allegations including physical, sexual, and mental abuse took place by the creator of the band, Edgardo Díaz. In 1989, he was shot to death, along with his wife Kitty, by his children, Lyle and Erik, inside their Beverly Hills mansion, reports NBC Philadelphia. Lyle claimed that he got molested between the ages of 6 and 8, while Erik was abused from the age of 6 till he turned 18, states Refinery29. Lyle denied he and Erik killed their parents for revenge and claimed they executed Jose and Kitty in self-defense. They both remain incarcerated at the Richard J Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, The Sun reports. However, the new allegations now might affect the Menendez brothers' sentence, who are facing life in prison without the possibility of parole.
'I never wished for it to come out like this'
Responding to the recent allegation, Erik, who is now 52, said, as per People, "It's sad to know that there was another victim of my father. I always hoped and believed that one day the truth about my dad would come out, but I never wished for it to come out like this – the result of trauma that another child has suffered."
Who is Roy Rossello?
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on May 1, 1970, Roy was a former member and singer of the band Menudo. According to his IMDb, he has also acted in films like 'The Love Boat' in 1977, 'Menudo: No Te Reprimas' in 1983, and 'Menudo: Piel De Manzana' in 1983.
Roy and other Menudo members have previously alleged abuse and assault during their time with the band in docuseries titled 'Menudo: Forever Young’ which was released on June 23, 2022, on HBO Max. The band was created by Edgardo Díaz and consisted of around 40 members in its group over the decades it was active, including Ricky Martin. The number of members in the band increased with time because as the boys turned 16 and hit puberty, they were replaced with new, younger members, keeping the boy band forever young.
Angelo Garcia, who joined the band at the age of 11, claimed that he was raped and narrated the details of the assault that took place in his hotel room after he was given alcohol by an undisclosed man, reported New York Post. He said in the documentary, “All I remember was that I, like, passed out. When I woke up, I was naked and I was bleeding, so I knew that I had been penetrated. I had, like, these burn marks on my face from the rug … I was very confused and I didn’t understand." He also added, "During my time in Menudo, I was raped a series of times, and that was the way that predators would take advantage of me."