John Sassamon, also known as Wussausmon (c. 1620–1675), was a Massachusett man who lived in New England during the early colonial era. He became a Christian convert, a praying Indian, who helped serve as an interpreter to the English colonists. In January 1675, Sassamon was ambushed and assassinated. A mixed jury of colonists and Indian elders convicted and executed three Wampanoag men for his murder. These events helped spark the conflict known as King Philip's War, in which the English defeated the Wampanoag and ended armed resistance by the Native Americans of southeastern New England.