Ex-Member Of Menudo Claims Father Of Menendez Brothers Abused Many Others — Including Child Stars
A former member of the '80s boy band Menudo claims the slain father of the infamous Menendez brothers may have molested others — including several child stars that have remained silent, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned.
In a bombshell interview with RadarOnline.com, Roy Rossello claims Jose Menendez used his position as a record executive to allegedly abuse numerous boys, including several now-grown stars who used to hang out with the hugely popular group.
“I know some of the kids spent a lot of time in (Menendez’s) house,” Rossello, 51, told RadarOnline.com. “I knew about a lot of things that were happening around that time with him and the other pedophiles that should be arrested.”
“He abused me, too,” he added. “When a child is abused, it hurts from the inside. The child dies completely from the inside. It is an unimaginable pain.”
Some believe the earth-shattering revelations could spark a new trial for Erik and Lyle Menendez who were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996 — seven years after they shot and killed their father and mother Mary “Kitty” Louise, 47, inside their Beverly Hills home.
The brothers claimed they were sexually abused and that their father threatened to kill them if they exposed his creepy crimes. The presiding judge determined it was inadmissible in court and sentenced them to life in prison.
Rossello’s accusations were first revealed during a promotional tour in the upcoming Peacock docuseries Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, where he claimed at the age of 14, Jose drugged and raped him during a visit to the executive’s home in New Jersey.
“That's the man here that raped me," he said while pointing to a photo of Jose during a preview of the show. "That's the pedophile…It's time for the world to know the truth."
Rossello told RadarOnline.com group’s former manager, Edgardo Diaz, who also allegedly abused him, was good friends with Menendez and essentially pimped him out.
Diaz, accused of abusing several of the boy band members, has vehemently denied all allegations.
“Jose Menendez was very good friends with Edgardo Diaz,” he said. “When I joined Menudo, I was already an adult — mentally — but since I had to help my family, pay for a roof over their heads and buy them food, I remained silent for many years. And Edgardo wanted me to sleep with Jose.”
Rossello said he could tell by the look in their eyes that the Menendez brothers were being abused.
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“Those boys felt dead inside, just like I felt for many years,” he told RadarOnline.com. “I tried at various times to commit suicide because of this. I met the Menendez brothers in their home. I didn’t see anything, but I knew something was going on because I could see how sad they looked. I knew something was wrong.”
Reacting to the explosive claims, Erik said, "Frankly I feel horrible. It's sad to know that there was another victim of my father.”
"It's a remarkable thing to happen so many decades later. Of course, you know that would have made a difference at trial. Certainly, that would have made an enormous difference because the entire trial centered on the belief of these events," added Lyle.
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Rossello, who left the band at the age of 16 after three years, managed to recover from the terrible abuse by finding Jesus and his ministry.
“The Bible says that we must care for our children and if a person harms one of our children, they should hang a rock around his neck and throw him into the deepest ocean,” he said. “Jesus cured me, cured my soul. It was difficult for me, but the Lord cured me.”