ANAHEIM : School-Hostage Case Defense Is Disclosed

The attorney for a 15-year-old student accused of shooting a boy in the face and holding a drama class hostage at Loara High School in Anaheim said psychiatrists will testify that the boy was schizophrenic at the time.

“The whole thing is his mental state when he went into the classroom,” Gary L. Proctor, the court-appointed attorney for Cordell L. (Cory) Robb, said in an interview. “That’s what the case is all about--what was going through the kid’s mind.”

At a brief hearing on Friday, Judge C. Robert Jameson set a trial date of Feb. 6 for Robb in Juvenile Court in Orange. Robb, dressed in a denim jacket, dark blue T-shirt and jeans, was in court and responded solemnly to the judge’s routine questions.

Jameson also on Friday approved the appointment of a third psychiatrist requested by the defense. Two other psychiatrists had been appointed at previous hearings to assess Robb’s mental condition.

The youth is accused of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, five counts of false imprisonment and bringing a firearm onto school grounds. If convicted, he could be imprisoned in the California Youth Authority until he turns 25.

Before the hearing, attorneys on both sides discussed a plea agreement but were unable to come to a resolution.

“The areas of disagreement are that the young man is mentally ill and needs help,” Proctor said from his office in Santa Ana.

Proctor said he sought to have Robb placed at Camarillo State Hospital, but Deputy Dist. Atty. Joe Nedza would not rule out the possibility that the boy could be placed in the California Youth Authority. Nedza also refused to reduce charges from attempted murder to attempted manslaughter, Proctor said.

“We felt that the facts prove that this was an attempted murder and nothing short of that,” Nedza said before the hearing. “When you consider the integrity of school grounds, that’s not something that our office takes lightly.

While Juvenile Court is concerned about the rehabilitation of minors, “my No. 1 concern is for the safety of the community. . . . He poses a threat to the community,” Nedza said.

The prosecutor added that Robb could get psychiatric help through the Youth Authority’s counseling programs.