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 being considered “dead” for 45 minutes has now been charged with murder.

Michael Knapinski’s astonishing survival story gripped the nation as it unfolded four years ago.

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

His heart then stopped for almost 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 murdering 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 and killed on Oct. 25 in the parking lot of a Safeway store in Bothell.

Investigators say Knapinski 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 drove behind him and as he pulled in, he saw the passenger door of the SUV open and close before he drove 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, telling investigators “he was too scared to call the police or go home,” but he called 911 to report the incident.

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

“Given the nature of this crime, there is a good chance that the suspect will commit a violent crime again,” the prosecutors write, KOMO reports.

“It appears that (Knapinski) chose to shoot and kill the victim for $1,900 worth of drugs. If he can take a man’s life for so little money, there is a good chance he will commit another violent crime.’

The victim, Jason Martinell, 42, died of a gunshot wound to the head

The murder took place in the parking lot of a Safeway store in Bothell, Washington

Investigators allege Knapinski (pictured) shot Martinell before stealing $1,900 worth of drugs

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

The suspect previously made the news after his dramatic rescue.

The experienced hiker was hiking on November 7, when he planned to snowshoe to Paradise, an area about 1,500 meters above sea level on the south slope, to meet a friend.

However, he never showed up and a frantic search was launched that lasted all night and into the next morning.

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

When ground teams reached him about an hour later, a Navy helicopter responded from an airfield on Whidbey Island to take him to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, and he arrived Sunday evening, still unconscious.

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

“He died while he was in the emergency room, which gave us the unique opportunity to try to save his life by essentially bypassing his heart and lungs, which is the most advanced form of artificial life support we have in the world,” said them. .

It comes four years after Knapinski was miraculously rescued from Mount Rainier after disappearing during a hike

The experienced hiker disappeared overnight in 16F conditions before eventually being found on the brink of death. His heart stopped pumping for 45 minutes, but doctors revived him using a special machine that oxygenates the blood outside the body.

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

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

After the ordeal, Knapinski, who volunteered with the Salvation Army and helped build foster homes for children, said he was determined to dedicate his life to helping others.

“Once I’m physically able, that will be my calling in life,” he said. ‘Just helping people. I’m still shocked and amazed.’