Boy, 15, Who Held Class Hostage Faces 9 Years in Custody : Crime: Ex-Loara student to undergo mental tests in the custody of the California Youth Authority, which must release him when he reaches 25.

A 15-year-old Anaheim high school student who shot a boy in the face while holding his drama class hostage was sentenced Thursday to what could amount to at least nine years in the custody of juvenile authorities after pleading guilty to charges ranging from attempted murder to false imprisonment.

Cordell L. (Cory) Robb was placed in the custody of the California Youth Authority, which will conduct mental examinations on him to help decide on whether he should be sent to a state hospital for treatment.

“We want to give him a chance to live a productive life,” said Robb’s mother, Katherine McAfee, after the sentence was handed down. “He has emotional problems, and I hope he gets the help he needs.”

Robb sat handcuffed and clad in a blue T-shirt and jeans as he calmly responded “yes” when Orange County Juvenile Court Judge Robert B. Hutson asked him if he was guilty of attempting to kill the classmate at Loara High School on Oct. 6 while holding other students hostage.

The victim of the shooting, 15-year-old Anthony Lopez, was discharged from the hospital the day after the incident and was to receive later treatment for a shattered jaw on the left side of his face.

Under the agreement reached between prosecutors and Robb’s lawyer, Robb pleaded guilty to attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment and possession of a firearm on school grounds. Four other false imprisonment and assault charges were dropped as part of the deal.

Robb was sentenced to 14 years in custody, but the judged noted that the youth authority can hold him only until he reaches age 25.

Gary L. Proctor, the private attorney appointed by the state to represent Robb, said he didn’t believe his client would have to serve the full sentence.

“I expect him to be released when he has a healthy mind,” Proctor said Thursday.

Proctor said he hopes that the CYA will move Robb to Napa State Hospital in Northern California, where he can receive treatment for what psychiatrists have diagnosed as schizophrenia. The hospital is close to where Robb’s mother lives.

Proctor said that Robb suffered from schizophrenia at the time of the incident and continues to hear voices and obey what he believes are “audio and visual commands.”

Robb’s mother said that the boy had displayed signs of emotional trouble over the last five years, but that there had been no indication that he would ever take such violent actions.

“This whole thing shocked everyone,” McAfee said.

Robb, his mother and stepfather discussed the problem with school officials and psychiatrists, but McAfee said that the sessions did not seem to offer “enough help.”

“He’s very sorry. He just says he wishes it never happened,” McAfee said. “I hope other kids (are) . . . more open with their parents and discuss problems.”

Word of Robb’s guilty plea had apparently not reached students and teachers at Loara High School Thursday afternoon, and Principal Jerry Glenn said he did not expect the news to affect the campus significantly.

“We put this whole thing behind us back in October,” Glenn said. “We’re back in the swing of things.”