Mt Rainier hiker whose dramatic rescue captivated America is now accused of murder

A Washington hiker who was dramatically rescued from Mount Rainier National Park after he was considered 'dead' for 45 minutes has now been accused of murder.

Michael Knapinski's astonishing survival story gripped the nation when it unfolded four years ago.

The 49-year-old went missing and spent a night on the mountainside in 16 degree conditions, before he was miraculously rescued on the brink of death.

His heart then stopped for nearly an hour but medics managed to save him by using a special machine to oxygenate his blood outside his body.

Now Knapinski has been charged with the murder of alleged drug dealer Jason Martinell and stealing $1,900 worth of narcotics from him, according to court documents obtained by People.

Martinell, 42, was shot dead in the parking lot of a Safeway store in Bothell on October 25.

Investigators say that Knapinski had approached Martinell to purchase fentanyl and methamphetamine.

A friend who was with Martinell said he heard him make a deal to sell Knapinski his drugs for $1,900.

He said Martinell then jumped into the suspect's Toyota Sequoia SUV and they drove to the Safeway parking lot.

The friend said he then followed behind and as he pulled in, he saw the passenger side door of the SUV open and shut before driving away.

Moments later, he found Martinell lying face down on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head, according to his affidavit.

He fled the scene and told investigators, 'he was too scared to call police or go home', but he called 911 to report the incident.

When the police found Martinell, he was not in possession of the drugs, leading officers to suspect Knapinski had stolen them. 

'Based on the nature of this crime, there is a substantial likelihood the defendant will commit another violent offense,' prosecutors wrote, KOMO reports.

'It would appear that (Knapinski) chose to shoot and kill the victim for $1,900 worth of drugs. If he is able to take a man's life for such a small amount of money, it is likely he would commit another violent offense.'

Knapinski is being held at  Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Bureau on a $1 million bond.

The suspect previously hit headlines following his dramatic rescue.

The experienced hiker was out for a walk on November 7,  when he planned to snowshoe down toward Paradise, an area at approximately 5,400 feet on the south slope, to meet a friend.

However, he never showed up and a frantic search was launched which lasted overnight and into the next morning.

Helicopter searchers finally found Knapinski in the Nisqually River drainage, about a mile upstream from the Glacier Bridge, the park said.

Once the ground teams reached him about an hour later, a Navy helicopter from an air station on Whidbey Island responded to bring him to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, and he arrived on Sunday night, still unconscious.

Dr Jenelle Badulak, one of the first people to start treating him, said he had a pulse but soon went into cardiac arrest.

'He died while he was in the ER, which gave us the unique opportunity to try and save his life by basically bypassing his heart and lungs, which is the most advanced form of artificial life support that we have in the world,' she said.

He remained dead for about 45 minutes, while teams repeatedly administered CPR and hooked him up to an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine.

In that process, blood is pumped outside of the body to a heart-lung machine that removes carbon dioxide and sends oxygen-filled blood back to tissues in the body.

Following the ordeal Knapinski, who volunteered with the Salvation Army and helped build children's foster homes said he was committed to dedicating his life to helping others. 

'As soon as I get physically able, that's going to be my calling in life,' he said. 'Just helping people. I'm still just shocked and amazed.'