Penrose man who admitted to murder pleads not guilty by reason of insanity

PENROSE, Colo. - A Fremont County family is seeking justice for their loved one who was stabbed to death in Penrose this year. Now, the man who admitted to doing it is pleading not guilty by reason of insanity.

When accused killer Donald Laub walked into the County courtroom for the death of 47-year-old Scott Nash, Nash's widow Deanna Nash said Laub expressed zero remorse.

"The man shows no emotions in court," Nash said. "He doesn't look at me when he enters the courtroom."

Court documents reveal that Laub told police he stabbed Scott Nash in the head and neck in a Penrose residence where the two men lived together back in June of this year.

During Tuesday's hearing, Nash became livid when Laub entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

"When he was shoving that knife through my husband's neck, he knew what he was doing, he knew exactly what he was doing," she said.

Laub's attorneys say their client suffers from a schitzoaffective disorder -- a mental imbalance involving schizophrenia and symptoms of depression.

While both Deanna and her daughter Breanna believe that is not the case, they say Laub was strange the few times they were with him. It made them both feel uneasy whenever he was in the room.

"I'll never forget his laugh," Nash said. "It was like the devil himself was laughing."

Laub's family told them previously that he was off his medication at the time of the murder. This could be the factor that justifies an insanity plea. Nash and her family are now praying the courts don't let Laub off the hook.

Laub will now undergo three separate evaluations to determine his sanity at the time of the murder. He'll be back in court in March.