Motions denied in DeGennaro case

Two men found guilty in the 2011 killing of Levittown guitarist Danny DeGennaro will have to file formal appeals to have any chance of getting out of jail, after a Bucks County judge on Thursday denied their initial requests to reconsider the verdict.

Breon Powell, 22, and Kazair Gist, 20, both from Trenton, each filed a motion with Judge Rea B. Boylan asserting that the evidence presented during their joint trial last fall was not enough to convict them of first- and second-degree murder.

Powell was found guilty of firing a fatal shotgun blast into DeGennaro's chest during a botched home robbery and is serving a life sentence.

Gist, who was 17 at the time of the murder, was sentenced to at least 52 years in prison for firing a shot from a handgun that missed DeGennaro.

Boylan denied their motions Thursday, said Assistant District Attorney Matthew Weintraub, meaning Powell and Gist will have to appeal the case formally - something Weintraub expects them to do.

Robin Lord, Powell's attorney, confirmed that she would be appealing Powell's case, describing Powell as "an innocent man sitting in jail" and saying the jury reached "an erroneous verdict."

Gist's attorney could not be reached Thursday morning.