plea except me. >> for years, a number of dr. king's closest aides and friends had voiced doubts about the case both then -- >> i think the government rushed to judgment. >> i've always felt that james earl ray didn't act alone. >> and now. >> i don't think james earl ray acted. >> you don't think he pulled the trigger? >> i don't think he was anywhere near. >> william pepper first met james earl ray in 1978 when he went to visit him in prison. pepper came away from that meeting certain of one thing. >> it was pretty clear that he was not the shooter. >> had there not been a guilty plea, there might have been two huge holes in the prosecutor's case. first, ballistics experts could not match this bullet, which killed dr. king, with the rifle ray bought. the bullet was badly mangled upon impact and the markings made by the rifle barrel when