Former Menudo member Roy Rosselló has accused José Menendez, the late father of brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez, of sexually assaulting him when he was a teenager.
Rosselló made the revelation about the documentary Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, which will be released on May 2 by Peacock.
What did Roy Rosselló say about the alleged abuse by José Menendez?
On April 18, the “Today” program aired a first preview of the series. In it, Roy Rosselló talks straight about what José Menendez allegedly did to him.
“It’s time for the world to know the truth,” the artist says in the trailer.
As revealed, Roy was drugged and abused by José, who worked as an executive at RCA Records, during a visit he made to the Menendez residence in New Jersey.
” I know what he did to me at home“, Rosselló points out. “(I was) 14 years old,” he adds.
The promotional video released shows the moment the singer points out the music director in a photo: “This is the man who raped me. This is the child killer“, he assures.
According to The New York Times, Menendez had a relationship with the hit group, which also included Ricky Martin, because he had hired her as the head of RCA Records.
Roselló, 51, was part of the band’s second lineup, between 1983 and 1986. Three years ago, he said he didn’t try to join.
“I was the only member (who) did not do any kind of audition in Menudo, because everyone knows that I entered because Edgardo simply saw me and fell in love with me,” he said in an interview on the “Ventaneando” program.
Variety explains that, in the docu-series, Roy tells not only the story of the alleged sexual assault by Menendez, but also another one perpetrated by a team manager.
Roy Rosselló’s charge could serve the Menendez brothers
In the publicity video broadcast on April 18, a voice claims that Roy Roselló’s indictment against José Menendez could have changed things during Lyle and Erik’s 1993 trial.
In 1996, the brothers were sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of murdering their parents, Jose and “Kitty” Menendez, while they were watching television in their living room.
Both, along with their lawyers, argued in court that they committed the crime because they were sexually abused by Jose and that his mother allowed it.
After the first trial concluded with two deadlocked juries, evidence of the alleged assaults was thrown out in a second, resulting in Lyle and Erik being sentenced to life in prison for first degree murder.
The excerpt also claims that Roselló’s public complaint is “key to taking action even after these decades.”
Source: univision
Jason Root is a writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth coverage of famous people in entertainment, sports, and politics. He has a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines and bringing readers an inside look at the lives of the famous. He has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Journalism from UC Berkeley.
