Former Menudo singer claims he was raped by the music executive father of the Menendez brothers

A former member of boy band Menudo has alleged that Jose Menendez sexually assaulted him – nearly 30 years after his two sons were convicted of his murder.

Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted in 1996 of shooting their father, Jose, as well as their mother, Mary Louise – a former beauty queen who also went by Kitty.

As part of their defense, the brothers argued that they had been sexually assaulted for years by their father, a music executive, and killed him out of fear.

Now, 27 years after the convictions, Roy Rossello is coming forward with allegations that Jose sexually assaulted him as a teenager.

The singer was part of Menudo, a global sensation in the 1980s that made Ricky Martin famous, and now claims Jose assaulted him on multiple occasions.

Speaking on a three-part Peacock docuseries “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed,” Rossello said he was also assaulted by one of Menudo’s former managers, Edgardo Diaz.

Rossello performed with the group aged 13 to 16 and claims he was taken to Menendez’s house by Diaz – who has always denied the allegations.

The explosive claims have been corroborated by Erik, who told reporters in the documentary that he remembered seeing him in their home.

After the brothers were found guilty, a judge ruled that their claims of sexual abuse were inadmissible, despite this being a possible mitigating factor in the case.

The initial prosecution of the trials ended with two hung juries and mistrials. The brothers were retried together in 1996 and were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, where they remain.

Pointing to a photo of Jose in a preview clip for the series, Rossello says, “That’s the guy here who raped me.” That’s the pedophile. It’s time the world knew the truth.’

He explained that Jose drugged and raped him when he was 14 while visiting their New Jersey home.

Jose was affiliated with Menudo and was part of choosing new members, having signed the group as RCA Records executive.

The brother’s murder convictions swept the nation at the time of the murders, as they appeared to be a family of great wealth.

Lyle, who was 22 at the time, went to Princeton, while Erik was a professional tennis player, and was 19 when his parents were killed.

On August 20, 1989, the brothers walked into the den of their $5 million Beverly Hills mansion and point-blank shot Jose in the back of the head, then shot Kitty in the leg as she attempted to run out of the room.

Jose was shot five times and Kitty nine times, with a final bullet fired into their kneecaps in an attempt to make it look like a mob hit.

Initially, the police believed that the mob was behind the killings, and did not arrest the siblings until a year later.

The brothers argued at trial that they were driven to kill their mother and father after a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

Erik said he was first sodomized by his father when he was six years old, and Lyle testified that Jose also had him molest his own brother when they were children.

A criminal lawyer told the documentary that Rossello’s allegations have given the brothers a “glitter of hope” that it could make a difference in their case.

Both Erik and Lyle can be heard in the documentary discussing how the new found evidence could have made a “huge difference” during their trials.

Erik said, “Honestly, I feel terrible. It’s sad to know there was another victim of my father.

“I always hoped and believed that one day the truth about my father would come out but I never wanted it to come out like this due to a trauma another child suffered and it makes me very sad . ‘

His brother Lyle added, “It’s pretty overwhelming to hear that. We had heard rumors that something might have happened over the years.

“It is remarkable to happen so many decades later. Of course you know that would have made a difference in the process.

“That would certainly have made a huge difference, because the whole trial revolved around belief in these events.

“Hopefully it will make a difference – you think it would in a fair world.”

Their uncle, Milton Andersen, 88, refuted the new claims, saying there was no way their case could be re-examined.

He said, “They don’t deserve to walk this earth after they killed my sister and my brother-in-law.”

Prosecutors alleged that the cold-blooded killers wanted unfettered access to their parents’ $14 million estate.

They discovered taped recordings of conversations the brothers had with a psychologist in which they confessed to the murders.

Both bought Rolex watches, condominiums, sports cars and other items in the months following the murders.

At their first trial, the brothers claimed they confronted their father about the alleged crimes, and he flew into a rage — forcing them to kill out of concern for their safety.

The trials were some of the first to be televised, with some jurors in the first two trials believing their testimony of abuse.

However, in the trial that sentenced the brothers, the judge banned cameras and limited witness testimony related to the abuse.

Both brothers were unable to name any other witnesses or their father’s victims at the trial, and Judge Stanley Weisberg ruled it inadmissible.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the cases in the 1990s, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.