A march and candlelight vigil were held Thursday night for Giovanni "Gio" Diaz, the 15-year-old boy who was beaten to death with a baseball bat by another teen on March 19.

PREVIOUS STORIES:

Diaz died on Monday after another 16 year old boy allegedly lured him into some woods in their Lake Wales neighborhood and beat him with a baseball bat.

His father, Jose, described "Gio" as "kind" and "special."

"Very smart, caring, compassionate, so many things I could say about my son," said Jose.

The crowd walked into the woods where Diaz died, then gathered around his picture with candles lit and prayed for him and his family.

"I mean, Gio was loved by everybody and the kid could do no wrong," said Jeani Wheeling, whose son was friend's with Diaz. "He was the soft-spoken one of the group and he's going to be sorely missed." 

Diaz was known for being good at math and science. Friends said there was no puzzle he couldn't solve.

"He always solved my Rubik's cube for me when I couldn't do it, and he always sat with me at lunch and he was just my best friend, like my little brother," said Anna Carden.

Diaz' family said the outpouring of support reinforces what they already knew.

"My son touched a lot of lives. He helped everyone," said Jose Diaz.