Ex-Menudo member Roy Rosselló has finally spoken out after his claims against the Menendez brothers’ father led to a significant win in court for the siblings as they approach their parole hearings.
A judge in Los Angeles determined that two pieces of evidence submitted by the Menendez brothers in their habeas corpus petition could have potentially altered the verdict’s outcome.
The evidence includes Rosselló’s shocking sexual assault allegations against former RCA Records executive Jose Menendez, alongside Erik Menendez’s letter where he detailed the alleged sexual abuse by his father.
The jury during the brothers’ second trial in 1995 were not shown the evidence.
Rosselló told The U.S. Sun that his declaration about Jose Menendez was “not in vain.”
The former Puerto Rican pop singer, 55, came forward in 2023 in the Peacock documentary, Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, alleging that Menendez sexually assaulted him at his New Jersey home in 1983.
“I am proud and happy about the judge’s decision. My testimony was not in vain,” Rosselló said.
“To my understanding, these individuals are always innocent victims. Their souls have been lost, condemned, and mutilated, devoid of hope, future, or destiny since the day their father began to abuse them.
“The judge made a wise and prudent decision. Now is the time for the system to implement changes in many areas, particularly regarding the statute of limitations for these crimes.”
30 DAY DEADLINE
In his July 7 ruling, Judge William Ryan said both Rosselló’s admission and Erik’s December 1988 letter could have likely changed the outcome of the brothers’ second trial.
Erik wrote a handwritten letter to his cousin, Andy Cano, eight months before he and his brother, Lyle Menendez, fatally killed their father and mother, Kitty Menendez, in the living room of their Beverly Hills mansion in August 1989.
Judge Ryan said the letter corroborates Cano’s testimony that he gave during the brothers’ initial murder trial in 1993, in which Erik and Lyle also testified about the sexual abuse they allegedly endured from their father.
During their second trial in 1995, the presiding judge limited the amount of testimony and evidence presented about the brothers’ claims of sexual abuse.
“[The defendants] allege that this new admission counters the prosecution’s argument that Jose was ‘restrained and forgiving,’ ‘not a violent and brutal man,’ and ‘not the kind of man’ that would abuse his children,” Judge Ryan wrote.
In his response, Judge Ryan gave Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman – who opposed the brothers’ resentencing and potential release – 30 days to explain why the siblings should remain incarcerated.
Hochman’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The U.S. Sun.
The district attorney has previously called Erik’s letter as “untrustworthy” and dismissed Rossello’s declaration as “not admissible.”
Rosselló previously told The U.S. Sun that he believes Hochman’s effort to keep the brothers incarcerated is part of an attempt by the district attorney to conceal the prosecution’s past trial mistakes.
“One fatal mistake which was that society was not ready to understand that mens [sic] and boys are abused as well,” Rosselló said in March.
ROY FILES LAWSUIT
In May, Rosselló filed a sweeping civil lawsuit in New York against Edgardo Diaz, the former manager of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo.
In his complaint, Rosselló accused Diaz, now 77, of sexual abuse and exploitation beginning when he was 13 years old.
“Diaz’s scheme was nothing more than a brazen way to satiate his own predatory behavior,” the suit alleged.
Rosselló alleged that within days of signing with Menudo at age 13, Diaz pulled him out of school without parental consent and raped him.
He alleged that from that point forward, Diaz would sexually assault him “three to four times per week” while on global tours with Menudo.
The former singer said that the alleged attacks took place in New York, California, Texas, Florida, Hawaii, and overseas in the Bahamas, South America, and Guam.
Rosselló also accused Diaz of facilitating multiple encounters between him and Jose Menendez, which the former singer alleged led to him being sexually assaulted.
He alleged that the encounters included the incident at Menendez’s home in New Jersey and another at a New York City hotel room after a Radio City Music Hall performance by Menudo in 1984.
Rosselló also alleged that Menendez raped him in Brazil while on tour with Menudo, and claimed Diaz was present in the room, according to his lawsuit.
“There is no greater harm that can be done to a human being,” the suit reads.
Diaz has repeatedly denied the accusation Rosselló has made against him.
Erik Menendez’s letter to his cousin
A hand written letter Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin about his dad’s alleged abuse has sparked a review of the case that could set him and his brother free from jail.
Erik’s letter was written in December 1988, eight months before the double murders in August 1989.
The letter reads in full:
“I’ve been trying to avoid dad. It’s still happening, Andy, but it’s worse for me now. I can’t explain it. He so overweight that I can’t stand to see him.
“I never know when it’s going to happen and it’s driving me crazy. Every night I stay up thinking he might come in.
“I need to put it out of my mind. I know what you said before but I’m afraid. You just don’t know dad like I do. He’s crazy!
“He’s warned me a hundred times about telling anyone, especially Lyle.
“Am I a serious whimpus? I don’t know I’ll make it through this. I can handle it, Andy. I need to stop thinking about it.”
