MONESSEN, Pa. -- The father of a slain 8-year-old girl wants his two remaining children returned from protective custody, but records show that this isn't the first time the family has been investigated.

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COMMENT ON CASE Comment On The Bright Case

John Bright says he took good care of his children, and can think of no reason why Westmoreland County Children's Bureau officials removed his 12-year-old daughter Marcia and 7-year-old son John on Tuesday. Officials declined to say why the children were taken.

A custody hearing scheduled for Thursday was rescheduled for Aug. 20 because the Brights showed up for the hearing without an attorney.

John Bright told WTAE-TV's Marcie Cipriani Thursday that there were allegations that his wife abused their children when they lived in San Diego, but that it was a misunderstanding and she was cleared.

John Bright also said that officials and the district attorney's office are as much to blame for his daughter's death as much as the man they charged in the case.

"The DA screwed up," John Bright said. "They may as well have been the one to pull the trigger, put the bullet in my daughter's head and kill her because they allowed this guy to walk the street after breaking probation not once, but twice, being caught with our kids."

Those are allegations that Monessen Mayor Ted Harhai disputes.

"He's got a tough position to hold because the facts are all there that things aren't copacetic, and I think that once they continue to find more things, I don't think he has a good platform for himself at that point," Harhai said.

The move to take the children away from the Brights came one month after Bright's daughter Annette (pictured, right) was killed. Charles Koschalk, who had been on parole for a corruption of minors conviction stemming from an all-night visit with Marcia Bright, is accused of killing the girl. WTAE-TV's Marcie Cipriani reported that he had visited the Brights at their home while on parole, even though he was not supposed to have contact with the family.

Records show that the Brights ran into problems with children's service agencies while living in San Diego. From 1992 to 1996, San Diego County authorities received 15 requests to look into the conditions at the family's home.

Child welfare agencies are prohibited from discussing cases.

On Thursday, John Bright said that he "screwed up" after Koschalk was placed on probation.

"I thought he was my best friend being railroaded," John Bright said. "Like any best friend would do, I went to his aid and stood by his side. Therefore, I still allowed him around my children and I still allowed him around my wife.

"But after a few months, I got to feeling uneasy about it because not only was it a violation of his probation, it was also a risk of losing my children, and I was feeling uneasy about how much he wanted to be around them. So after a while, I stopped him from being around them. It angered him and after a while, he killed my daughter."

Koschalk (pictured, left) remains in Westmoreland County Prison without bail as the search for a murder weapon continues. Police believe that Koschalk used a shotgun to kill Annette Bright, then stashed the weapon in a bunker near his home.

Koschalk has allegedly confessed to shooting the girl, but said that it was a deer-hunting accident.