What happened to Dale Wayne Sigler, the subject of I Am a Killer: Released? The three-part docuseries examines Sigler’s motivations for killing John Zeltner in 1990, and how he remembers the events approximately three decades later. The story’s first half suggests that Sigler is a reformed killer who is now a man of God; however, the second half implies that Sigler may have misrepresented the truth.
I Am a Killer: Released establishes the basics early on: Sigler robbed a Subway store, killed Zeltner, and later received a death sentence because of the execution-style nature of the murder, described by homicide investigator Tommy Lenoire as “overkill.” In the first Netflix episode, Sigler takes responsibility for his actions, and interstitial graphics reveal that his death sentence was commuted to a life sentence. By 2019, Sigler learns that he’s been granted parole. The second episode explores the fact that Zeltner was gay, and also the theory that Sigler may have killed him for that reason. I Am a Killer: Released builds to revelatory third episode in which Sigler opens up about a traumatic childhood experience, and how his insecurities played a role in his fateful decision to murder Zeltner.
In I Am a Killer: Released, Sigler reveals his true motivations for murdering Zeltner. The two men were originally friends, but had a falling out after Zeltner made sexual advances towards Sigler. The Netflix subject acknowledges that he once questioned his sexuality after being molested years prior, but denies that he and the victim ever had a sexual relationship. According to Sigler, he murdered Zeltner for threatening to spread false information about him; an extreme act that may leave viewers wondering if the killer did indeed have something to hide. In the third and final episode of I Am a Killer: Released, Sigler moves in with his long-time pen pal, Carole Whitworth, and finds a job at a Texas ranch. A final update reveals that Sigler later lost his job but still lived with Carole one year after his release.
Little information has been revealed about Sigler’s current whereabouts and employment, though he’s reportedly (via The Cinemaholic) still looking for a job and living with “Mama Carole.” The Netflix docuseries frames Sigler as a changed man who’s legally unable to socialize in public, and includes a scene where he applies for a job and admits that he hasn’t worked, outside of prison, in almost three decades. Despite the former Death Row inmate’s optimistic outlook, he states on camera that homosexuality is an “abomination,” which will naturally make some viewers question his motives for murder.
Zeltner’s half-brothers appear in I Am a Killer: Released and reportedly (via Cosmopolitan) don’t plan to forgive Sigler. As shown in the Netflix docuseries, Forest and John Harlan Zeltner reject Sigler’s revised confession story. In addition, the aforementioned Lenoir – one of the original investigators – similarly doesn’t believe that Sigler should be out of jail. For now, however, the self-described “walking miracle” appears to be enjoying his freedom with “Mama Carole,” though it’s unclear if their financial situation has improved.