Many people who knew Charles Koschalk didn't really know much about him, other than that he was a quiet guy and a hard worker. The 34-year-old Monessen man - accused of killing 8-year-old Annette Bright of Monessen on July 15 and burying her body along railroad tracks in Rostraver Township - was seldom seen and seldom heard. 'He was a quiet guy, never swore, never cussed, just low key,' said Buzzy Byron of Byron Construction in Monessen, who often sublet masonry work to Koschalk over the past 18 years. 'He arrived early and was always neat and mannerly.' Byron said he had a brick job to offer Koschalk the morning of his arrest, but was stopped by police when he went for him at his house. 'He was a good worker. If you needed brick or stone or block laid, he was the man. 'It's hard to believe,' continued Byron. Duwane Koschalk of Monessen, Charles Koschalk's younger brother, said he was shocked to hear the news of his brother's arrest Wednesday.

'It was very unexpected. I feel awful,' said Duwane Koschalk. 'I have three kids of my own and I can't imagine him doing anything like that.' Duwane said Charles stuck mainly to himself, rarely coming to visit. 'He would stop by and talk a few minutes to us and the kids, but never stayed very long,' he said. It was apparently through Duwane's daughter, Crystal, that Charles Koschalk met Marcia, the 12-year-old sister of Annette Bright. Duwane Koschalk told reporters his family had pleaded with Charles to stop seeing Marcia. Koschalk also has two brothers, David, of Elco and Paul, of Monessen, and a sister Debbie, of Jeannette. 'They were all shocked,' said Duwane Koschalk. Koschalk's neighbors knew little of the man whose story stunned the Mon Valley this week. 'He never caused any trouble,' said Anna Cuterino, who lives a few doors away from Koschalk's home at 912 Somerset St. 'I've seen him clean snow off the walks for neighbors and sometimes he'd go by in his truck.' Cuterino said the Koschalk family moved to their current address after their former home nearby was torn down. She said Charles and his brothers were just boys then. 'They would always walk by, but never were a problem. I think he changed when his mother died,' she said. Koschalk's mother, Sonja, died in 1998 of a brain aneurysm. Cuterino said she noticed young girls at the house on occasion, but thought they were his nieces or cousins. Neighbor Jim Cocchiara agreed that Koschalk kept mainly to himself. 'I've never seen him come out of the house,' said Cocchiara. 'I've seen him in town a couple of times, though.' Ruth Rieu, who has lived along Third Street for 30 years, said she didn't know him at all. 'I've never even seen him,' she said. While he led a quiet life, Koschalk's past has not been a smooth one. A student at Hempfield Area High School, he reportedly spent time in the Westmoreland County Juvenile Detention Center and with foster families in the Greensburg area between the ages of 14 to 18. On May 4, he was reportedly seen with Marcia Bright at a Target store in Greensburg, and his parole was revoke in Common Pleas Court on June 27. That petition was pending when Koschalk was arrested Wednesday.

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