Adams County high school student Jonny Tomasello just “wanted to be part of things so bad.”

The 15-year-old was a versatile athlete who played football, wrestled and ran track, according to his mother Natalie Tomasello.

When he wasn’t dashing around to athletic events, Jonny was singing in the choir. While he sometimes sang the higher-pitched tenor parts of songs, he loved singing the deep, bass parts because it made him feel manly.

Jonny was so musically gifted, he taught himself how to play the keyboard. He also was brilliant, and he was sweet — ever-smiling and he was on the autism spectrum, his mother said.

Jonny’s autism disorder made him a target for bullies in the Bermudian Springs Area School District who beat him up, verbally demeaned him, and eventually drove the East Berlin

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