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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteRoy Rosselló, a former member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, alleged in 2023 that José Menendez sexually assaulted him when Rosselló was a teenager. Rosselló said Menendez drugged and raped him during a visit to the Menendez family’s New Jersey home. His account was presented in the Peacock documentary Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed and in contemporaneous NBC Today coverage.
The allegation has not been established by a criminal conviction or a civil judgment against Menendez. It became significant largely because it was submitted as part of Erik and Lyle Menendez’s effort to challenge their murder convictions—but a Los Angeles judge’s September 2025 ruling did not decide whether Rosselló’s account was true.
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What Roy Rosselló alleged
Rosselló said he was approximately 14 years old when the alleged assault occurred. He was a member of Menudo from about 1983 to 1986 and told filmmakers that he recognized José Menendez in a photograph.
According to coverage of the documentary, Rosselló alleged that Menendez molested, drugged and raped him at the Menendez family home in New Jersey. The account concerned an alleged assault on Rosselló as a child. It was not an accusation that either Erik or Lyle Menendez participated in the incident.
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The allegation became public in 2023, decades after José Menendez’s death. José and his wife, Kitty Menendez, were killed by their sons in Beverly Hills in August 1989. Because Menendez died before Rosselló publicly described the alleged assault, the allegation was not tested in a criminal case against José Menendez.
Rosselló’s account should therefore be described as an allegation or testimony about what he says happened—not as a court-established fact. Public reporting documents his account and a signed declaration attributed to him, but the available record does not show that José Menendez was criminally convicted or judicially found liable for the alleged assault.
Why José Menendez was connected to Menudo
The connection between Rosselló and Menendez was professional as well as personal. At the time of the alleged incident, Menendez was an RCA Records executive, while Menudo was connected to RCA’s recording business. The documentary also examines the relationship between Menendez and Menudo manager Edgardo Díaz.
That industry connection is why Rosselló’s account appeared in the broader Menendez story rather than as an unrelated allegation. The documentary presents Rosselló’s account alongside the history of Menudo, the music business surrounding the group and the abuse claims later raised by the Menendez brothers.
What the Peacock documentary presents
Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed premiered in 2023. Peacock’s official listing describes it as a one-season, TV-MA documentary series examining the connection between José Menendez and Menudo and giving Rosselló an opportunity to tell his story.
The three episodes are titled:
- “Roy Tells All”
- “Abuse of Power”
- “Key Witness”
The series is a presentation of Rosselló’s account and the surrounding claims; its existence does not by itself resolve the factual or legal questions. Availability can vary by location and date.
Watch information: Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed is listed by Peacock as a three-episode documentary series. Viewers should consult the service’s current listing for regional availability.
How the allegation became relevant to the Menendez brothers’ case
Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted in 1996 of first-degree murder for killing their parents. The brothers acknowledged the killings but argued that they had endured years of sexual, physical and emotional abuse by their father and acted out of fear. Prosecutors argued that the murders were motivated by financial gain.
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Rosselló’s allegation mattered to the brothers’ later legal challenge because, if believed, it could have supported the defense’s argument that José Menendez had abused people outside his immediate family. Evidence that another child allegedly experienced sexual abuse by the same person could potentially affect how a jury evaluated the brothers’ accounts of abuse.
That possible relevance is not the same as proof. Rosselló’s allegation did not establish that the brothers’ accounts were true, did not prove that the brothers acted in legally justified fear and did not automatically undermine the prosecution’s theory of the 1989 killings.
The evidence submitted in the habeas petition
In 2023, the brothers’ attorneys submitted a signed declaration from Rosselló as part of a habeas-corpus petition seeking to challenge the convictions. The petition also relied on a 1988 letter Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin Andy Cano describing abuse before the killings.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s filed response discussed Rosselló’s account as evidence offered by the petitioners and contested its legal effect. A court filing records the positions taken by the parties; statements made in a filing should not automatically be treated as findings independently established by a judge.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11In an NBC Today segment, Lyle Menendez said the brothers had heard rumors involving Menudo and suggested that evidence connected to those rumors might have mattered at trial. Erik Menendez expressed sympathy for Rosselló and said he had hoped the truth about his father would eventually emerge, while also acknowledging that Rosselló was another child describing traumatic experiences.
What the September 2025 ruling decided
On September 15, 2025, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge rejected the brothers’ petition for a new trial. Reporting by the Los Angeles Times said the judge concluded that Rosselló’s allegations and Erik Menendez’s 1988 letter did not add enough to the abuse evidence already considered at trial.
The judge further concluded that the additional evidence would not have resulted in a hung jury or a lesser conviction. The ruling also found that the brothers had not shown the legally required fear of imminent peril.
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That ruling did not determine whether Rosselló was telling the truth. The legal question was whether the newly presented material met the applicable standard and would probably have changed the outcome of the murder trial. Rejecting the petition was not a judicial finding that Rosselló’s allegation was false, just as submitting his declaration was not a judicial finding that it was true.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →| Question | What the record shows |
|---|---|
| Did a court find that José Menendez assaulted Rosselló? | No. The available ruling addressed the effect of the evidence on the brothers’ murder case, not the truth of the alleged assault. |
| Did Rosselló’s declaration lead to a new trial? | No. The Los Angeles County Superior Court rejected the petition on September 15, 2025. |
| Did the ruling exonerate the Menendez brothers? | No. Their murder convictions were not overturned by that decision. |
| Did the court rule that Rosselló’s allegation was false? | No. The court ruled that the additional evidence was not legally sufficient to change the trial’s result. |
Sentencing and parole developments
The brothers’ later sentencing proceedings were separate from the Rosselló allegation. In May 2025, a judge resentenced Erik and Lyle Menendez to 50 years to life, making them eligible to seek parole under California law. Both brothers nevertheless had parole hearings in August 2025, and both were denied release.
Those hearings focused on sentencing, rehabilitation and public-safety considerations. They were not factual adjudications of whether José Menendez assaulted Rosselló and did not replace the September 2025 court’s analysis of the habeas petition.
Timeline of the Menudo allegation and court proceedings
- Approximately 1983–1986: Rosselló was a member of Menudo.
- When Rosselló was approximately 14: He says José Menendez drugged and sexually assaulted him at the Menendez home in New Jersey.
- August 1989: José and Kitty Menendez were killed by their sons in Beverly Hills.
- 1996: Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted of first-degree murder.
- 2023: Rosselló’s account was presented publicly through Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed and NBC Today coverage. The brothers’ lawyers submitted Rosselló’s signed declaration in a habeas-corpus petition.
- May 2025: The brothers were resentenced to 50 years to life and became eligible to seek parole under California law.
- August 2025: Parole hearings denied release to both brothers.
- September 15, 2025: A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge rejected the petition for a new trial.
How to understand the allegation responsibly
There are three separate questions that are easy to collapse into one:
- What did Rosselló say happened? He alleged that José Menendez drugged and raped him when Rosselló was a teenager.
- Why could that account matter to the brothers’ case? If credited, it could have offered evidence consistent with the brothers’ claim that their father abused others as well as them.
- What did the court decide? The court decided that the new material did not satisfy the legal standard for changing the murder-case outcome. It did not decide whether Rosselló’s account was true or false.
Keeping those questions separate is important. It avoids labeling an unadjudicated allegation as a proven fact while also avoiding the opposite mistake of treating the court’s procedural ruling as a rejection of Rosselló’s personal account.
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Further reading
For a longer secondary account of the case, The Menendez Murders, Updated Edition by Robert Rand is relevant because its publisher describes the updated edition as incorporating reporting on the family abuse allegations and the Menudo connection. It is best read alongside court filings and independent contemporary reporting rather than as a substitute for the primary legal record.
The most important primary source for the legal context is the Los Angeles County district attorney’s filed response to the habeas petition. That document helps show how the petitioners characterized Rosselló’s declaration and how prosecutors argued against its legal effect, but it contains party arguments as well as discussion of the record.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Roy Rosselló?
Roy Rosselló is a former member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo. He was in the group approximately from 1983 to 1986 and said he was about 14 when the alleged assault occurred.
What did Roy Rosselló allege about José Menendez?
Rosselló alleged that José Menendez drugged, molested and raped him during a visit to the Menendez family’s home in New Jersey. The allegation was presented publicly in 2023 through the documentary Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed and NBC Today coverage.
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No. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge rejected the brothers’ petition for a new trial on September 15, 2025. The judge ruled that the additional evidence would not have changed the murder trial’s result, but did not decide whether Rosselló’s allegation was true or false.
Is the alleged assault a proven fact in court?
The available reporting and court record document Rosselló’s account and his signed declaration, but they do not show a criminal conviction or civil judgment against José Menendez for the alleged assault. It should therefore remain described as an allegation.
The Bottom Line
Roy Rosselló alleged that José Menendez drugged and raped him when Rosselló was a teenage Menudo member. The account became relevant to Erik and Lyle Menendez’s post-conviction challenge because it could have supported their claims of abuse, but the September 2025 ruling rejected the request for a new trial without deciding whether Rosselló’s allegation was true. The brothers’ convictions remain in place.
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