Owner of chimp that attacked Charla Nash dies “of a broken heart”

Sandra Herold, the owner of a chimp that brutally mauled friend and employee Charla Nash, has died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm, her lawyer said in a statement.

Robert Golger, Herold’s lawyer, believes that the woman’s death on Monday night was a result of the events of the past year:

“Ms. Herold had suffered a series of heartbreaking losses over the last several years, beginning with the death of her only child, then her husband, then her beloved chimp Travis, as well as the tragic maiming of friend and employee Charla Nash,” wrote Golger.

For thirty years before Herold’s chimp Travis attacked Nash, the two women had been close friends. (Nash and Herold met in the 70s working at Loretta Lynn’s rodeo.) During the February 2009 mauling, the chimp “crushed Nash’s hands and ripped off a substantial portion of her scalp, face, jaw and eyes.”

Golger also said the stress of the “multi-million dollar lawsuit” following Nash’s mauling lead to Herold’s death:

“The stress of defending a multi-million dollar lawsuit and all that it entailed also weighed heavy on Sandy,” he continued. In the end, her heart, which had been broken so many times before, could take no more. In a world where too many people strive to just fit in, she stood out as a true individual. She marched to the beat of her own drum and was proud of it.”