A Berks County man who is serving a state prison sentence for setting up an ambush robbery during which a pizza delivery man was shot in the face will be staying behind bars.

The state Superior Court this week rejected Christian M. Hernandez's appeal of the 19 1/2- to 60-year jail term he is serving for the December 2010 crime in Reading.

Court records show Hernandez, now 21, gave the pizza shop his own phone number when he made the call that lured deliveryman Nelson Berrios Jr. to the ambush in the 500 block of Birch Street.

According to the state court opinion by Judge Jack A. Panella, Berrios arrived at the location, called the phone number his shop was given, and saw Hernandez, who was sitting on a nearby step, answer the call.

When Berrios took the pizza to Hernandez, another man walked up behind Berrios and put a gun to the back of Berrios' head. A second armed man then appeared as Hernandez rifled Berrios' pockets, taking $15.

Berrios didn't resist, but as he tried to take the pizza from the warming bag, he saw a flash and was shot in the chin. He fought the gunman briefly before passing out.

Later, from his hospital bed and then during Hernandez's February 2014 trial, Berrios identified Hernandez as one of his assailants. Hernandez was convicted of aggravated assault, robbery, theft, conspiracy and other charges.

On appeal, Hernandez argued that his prison term is "manifestly excessive."

In rejecting that argument and affirming Hernandez's sentence, Panella cited an opinion by county President Judge Paul Yatron, who presided at Hernandez's trial.

Yatron noted that Berrios will suffer years of pain from his gunshot wound, which miraculously did not kill him. The evidence suggests Hernandez organized the robbery, Yatron added, calling the crime "particularly senseless."

"The shooting, in particular, seems to have no basis whatsoever," since Berrios wasn't resisting, Yatron wrote. "This is an extremely egregious offense and it had terrible, terrible results."