The state Superior Court on Friday upheld the conviction and sentence of a Coaldale man found guilty of teaming up with a buddy to murder a mutual friend in Jan. 20, 2014.

Stanley E. Kralik, 18, will have to serve the 20-40 years to which he was sentenced in the death of Corey M. Samuels.The Superior Court panel of President Judge Susan Peikes Gantman, and judges Jacqueline O. Shogan and Paula Francisco Ott rejected Kralik’s two arguments.On his conviction, Kralik argued the testimony of his co-conspirator, Oliver L. Trizarri, was “totally contradicted by the physical evidence and the report of the Commonwealth’s expert pathologist.”On his sentence, he contended the trial court failed to consider certain mitigating factors, including his age at the time of the offense, his lack of a significant prior criminal history, and psychological reports presented during a hearing to determine if he should be tried as a juvenile or as an adult that found he would be able to be rehabilitated.“At this juncture, Kralik’s only avenue for relief is a timely filed post-conviction collateral petition challenging trial counsel’s ineffectiveness,” the judges wrote.Kralik was represented by Claude A. Lord Shields. Assistant District Attorney Keith D. Hoppes prosecuted the case.Although Kralik was 16 years old at the time of the murder, he was charged as an adult, a decision he unsuccessfully sought to reverse.Before Kralik’s June 2016 trial, Trizarri pleaded guilty to charges of third-degree murder and conspiracy, and was sentenced to a term of 15 to 30 years’ imprisonment in exchange for his testimony against Kralik.On June 22, 2016, a jury returned a verdict of guilty on charges of third-degree murder, criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault, robbery and theft.The court on Aug. 12, 2016, sentenced Kralik to 20 to 40 years in prison for third-degree murder, a concurrent term of 20 to 40 years for conspiracy to commit murder, and a concurrent term of 66 months to 20 years for robbery. The remaining charges merged for sentencing purposes.According to court documents and testimony, Kralik and Trizarri lured Samuels into the woods that January night on the pretense of partying, only to beat him to death with a shovel, kicking and choking him.The shovel and other evidence were later found by police in Kralik’s home.In court, each defendant blamed the other for the killing. Kralik was angry at Samuels because he had been told that Samuels had sexually assaulted Kralik’s former girlfriend.The two then dragged Samuels’ body a short distance and covered it with branches and snow.A Coaldale man searching for mushrooms discovered Samuels’ skeletal remains on Sept. 6, 2014.