The Peacock original documentary series Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed was harrowing throughout, but many of the biggest reveals could change the complexion of the entire notorious true crime case. Released in 2023 and spanning three lengthy episodes, the documentary follows Roy Rosselló, a former member of the boy band Menudo as he tries to build a case against band manager Edgardo Díaz who he alleges committed sexually abusive acts. On top of that, the documentary series ties Rosselló’s experience with the notorious Menendez brothers murder trial from the 1990s and shines a never-before-seen light on previously unheard evidence.

While many of the most shocking details about the Menendez brothers are well-known to the public at large, Menendez + Menudo actually had something new to say which made it unique among true crime docs. The notorious murders were one of the most high-profile true crime stories of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and it became the archetype for the good-kids-gone-bad narrative that persisted throughout the decade. While the Menendez case and its outcome were only small parts of the documentary series, Menendez + Menudo makes a surprising connection that adds another wrinkle to the utterly vexing three-decades-old true-crime story.

7The Menendez Brothers’ Abuse Testimony Was Inadmissible

The Accusations Against Their Father Couldn’t Be Used In Court

Lyle and Erik Menendez are a pair of brothers who, in 1996, were convicted of murdering their parents in cold blood at their Beverly Hills mansion. The crimes occurred in 1989, and the half-decade plus of trials and re-trials became must-see TV as the two rich young men became the face of high-profile crime in the last decade of the 20th century. While Menendez + Menudo wasn’t entirely focused on the notorious brothers, it did recontextualize their case using evidence that was not admissible in court back in the ’90s.

According to the Peacock documentary, Lyle and Erik’s first trial which famously ended in a hung jury, was supposed to feature testimony from family members and witnesses regarding the brothers’ accusations against their father. Lyle and Erik maintained that their father, José Menendez, had sexually and physically abused them since childhood, a fact that was the entire crux of their defense. The brothers claimed that they murdered their parents to escape José’s abuse, but testimony was waved off that could have corroborated their story.

… the documentary’s explosive claims may yet have a real-world effect on the brothers’ case.

Supposedly, a cousin of Lyle and Erik’s was to be called as a witness that could have backed up the brothers’ claims, but the testimony was deemed inconsequential in the initial trial, and outright barred in the second. The documentary’s later claim about José Menendez having abused Menudo member Roy Rosselló would seemingly corroborate what the Menendez brothers have been claiming for over a quarter of a century since their conviction in 1996. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the documentary’s explosive claims may yet have a real-world effect on the brothers’ case.

6Parents Knew About The Abuse

The Activities Of Edgardo Díaz Were A Poorly Kept Secret

The bulk of the documentary series focuses on Roy Rosselló’s personal experience, and the former Menudo member had more than a few explosive revelations regarding Edgardo Díaz. The promoter made a name for himself in the 1980s by producing boy bands, and Menudo was one of his biggest successes, with the band scoring a few hits in the boy-band-crazed later years of the decade. Rosselló’s accusations against Díaz are the heart of the doc, but he also revealed that the producer wasn’t necessarily acting in secret.

As mentioned in Menendez + Menudo, Rosselló recalled an audition in which he appeared before Díaz and Díaz’s mother. According to the former member, Díaz’s mother scolded the producer about abusing young boys and even warned him not to do anything to Rosselló. Unfortunately, the admonition went unheeded, and Díaz’s pattern of abuse was allowed to persist. What’s most shocking about the lesser-known true crime documentary is that Díaz abusive behavior was apparently known to others, but no one was willing to put a stop to it, even when it was happening right in front of them.

5Diaz Prevented Accusers From Coming Forward

A Forced Culture Of Secrecy Protected Edgardo Díaz

Further twisting the knife on the painful story, Menendez + Menudo offered a chilling tale in which someone did try to step forward and stop the abuse but was met with a system that protected abusers. In the documentary series, photojournalist and former Menudo merchandiser Bolivar Arellano was interviewed where he revealed that he himself had tried to oust Edgardo Díaz in the past, but was prevented through shady dealings.

According to Arellano, several members of Menudo came to him with stories of abuse, and he attempted to go public with the accusations. While the former members of the band pleaded to stay anonymous, Arellano refused to allow the abuse to persist and went to authorities.

Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed has an IMDB score of 7.4.

As he mentioned in the series, cops did nothing, and Arellano positioned himself as the mouthpiece for the abused boys. Arellano was then arrested after a talk show appearance in which he accused Díaz, and he was later charged with defamation of character and ordered to retract his statements. To this day, Arellano has refused to back down and has helped to corroborate Rosselló’s harrowing story.

4Menudo Wasn’t The Only Band Being Abused By Diaz

There Were Multiple Young Musicians Abused By Díaz

The best TV shows on Peacock range from reality TV, dramas, and even true crime documentaries, and Menendez + Menudo is a shining example of the streamer’s push for more true crime content. As such, the documentary aimed to oust a serial abuser, and to do that it laid out portions of the story that were as yet unheard of or at the very least, underreported.

Menudo wasn’t the only musical act that was represented by Díaz, and according to the documentary, Los Chamos member Gabriel Fernandez was also allegedly abused by Díaz. This speaks to a much wider web of assault that stretches beyond Menudo.

3Jose Menendez’s Alleged Abuses

The Father Of The Menendez Brothers Was Supposedly Complicit

Though Roy Rosselló’s allegations against Edgardo Díaz are explosive enough to anchor a true crime documentary series, Menendez + Menudo took things a step further by including new allegations against José Menendez. The late father of Lyle and Erik was a high-powered music executive for RCA Records in the mid-1980s, and RCA dealt extensively with Menudo and their manager Edgardo Díaz. According to Rosselló, Díaz used him as sexual capital to gain favors with the RCA executive, and Rosselló alleges he was sexually abused by the elder Menendez.

The abuse supposedly happened in New York City when Menudo was performing in the Big Apple, and Rosselló first met José Menendez in the back of a limousine where he was allegedly given laced alcohol. The documentary is rather scant on details about the alleged abuse, but it does seem to back up what Lyle and Erik have been saying since the ’80s. José Menendez’s character was a big part of the defense in the 1990s trials, but the larger picture was clearly not known at the time, if Rosselló’s story is true.

2Other Band Members Thought The Relationship Was Consensual

The Abuse Factor Of The Activity Was Downplayed

Though there is still a long way to go regarding how survivors of sexual abuse are treated by the media and society at large, Menendez + Menudo did offer a beautiful moment of healing.The best music documentaries typically focus on the internal strife within bands, and infighting isn’t all that uncommon. However, Roy Rosselló recounted infighting of an entirely different kind as he recalled that he was ostracized by his bandmates because they thought he was getting special treatment from Díaz due to his relationship with him.

Díaz constructed an environment that allowed such behavior to go on, and the teens of Menudo were too young to fully grasp that they were being played off of one another by a serial abuser.

As a disgusting reflection of the permissive culture of the past regarding sexual abuse, Díaz’s attacks on Rosselló were well-known to members of the band and thought of as a consensual relationship. Clearly, Díaz constructed an environment that allowed such behavior to go on, and the teens of Menudo were too young to fully grasp that they were being played off of one another by a serial abuser. The documentary includes quite a few candid moments between Rosselló and his former bandmates, and they are touching examples of forgiveness from a survivor.

1Rosselló Wasn’t The Only Menudo Member Who Was Abused

Other Band Members Experienced The Same Treatment

While the abuse Roy Rosselló suffered at the hands of Edgardo Díaz made him something of a pariah within Menudo, Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed revealed that he wasn’t alone. According to the film, former member Ray Reyes was preparing to come forward as an adult with accusations against Díaz, when he tragically passed away from a heart condition. The documentary interviews those that knew Reyes personally, and they claimed that it was the stress of his impending accusations that caused the former Menudo member to sadly die at such a young age.

Did Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story Mention Roy Rosselló?

The Lyle and Erik Menendez case rose to prominence again in 2024 thanks not only to the Peacock documentary Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed in 2023, but also the Netflix miniseries Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (a follow-up to Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story). Many familiar with the depth of the Menendez murders wondered how the miniseries would portray certain aspects of the trial, such as the alleged sexual abuse by Jose Menendez against his own sons.

The truth behind Lyle and Erik’s accusations of abuse at the hands of their father has always been contested, with many believing the story was fabricated by the brothers to add a relatable motive to the murder of their parents. However, the separate accusations against José Menendez by Roy Rosselló threw the claims of Lyle and Erik into new light. However, neither Menudo, Roy Rosselló, or Edgardo Díaz appeared or were mentioned in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

This was a somewhat perplexing choice for the miniseries, as it spent a considerable amount of focus on the abuse allegations leveled at José Menendez. Having Roy Rosselló’s accusations included would have added to the sense of uncertainty that Monsters was trying to cultivate throughout, with the series leaving the truth behind many of the Menendez brother’s claims open-ended. However, the meeting of José Menendez and Roy Rosselló wasn’t mentioned, and neither were Jose Menendez’ links to the entertainment industry documented in Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed.