March 13, 1770
The following true bill is for the killing of Crispus Attucks. The bill accuses soldier William Warren of firing the two bullets that killed Attucks. Captain Preston, eight soldiers, and four civilian employees of the Customs office are accused of aiding and abetting in the murder of Attucks.
Similar true bills were returned for the killings of the other four victims of the Boston Massacre.
At His Majesty's Superior Court of Judicature, Court of Assizes, and General Gaol Delivery, begun and held at Boston within and for the County of Suffolk, on the second Tuesday of March, in the tenth reign of George the Third, by the grace of God, of great Britain, France, and ireland King, Defender of the Faith, &c.
The jurors for the said Lord the King, upon their oath present, that Thomas Preston, Esq., William Weems, laborer, James Hartegan, laborer, William McCauley, laborer, Hugh White, laborer, Matthew Killroy, laborer, William Warren, laborer, John Carroll, laborer, and Hugh Montgomery, laborer, all now resident in Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and Hammond Green, boat builder, Thomas Greenwood, laborer, Edward Manwaring, Esq., and John Munroe, gentleman, all of Boston aforesaid, not having the fear of God before their eyes, but being moved and seduced by the instigation of the devil and their own wicked hearts, did, on the fifth day of March, at Boston, with force of arms, feloniously, willfully, and of their malice aforethought, assault one Crispus Attucks, then and there being in the peace of God, and of the said Lord the King, and that he, the said William Warren, with a certain hand gun of the value of twenty shillings, which he, the said William Warren, then and there held in both his hands, charged with gunpowder and two leaden bullets, then and there, feloniously, willfully, and of his malice aforethought, did shoot off, and discharge at and against the said Crispus Attucks, and that the said William Warren, with the leaden bullets as aforesaid, out of the said hand gun, then and there, by force of the said gun powder so shot off and discharged as aforesaid, did then and there, feloniously, willfully, and by his malice aforethought, strike, penetrate, and wound the said Crispus Attucks in and upon the right breast, a little below the right pap of him the said Crispus, and in and upon the left breast, a little below the left pap of him, the said Crispus, thereby giving to him, the said Crispus, with one of the bullets aforesaid, so shot off and discharged as aforesaid, in and upon the right breast, a little below the right pap of him, the said Crispus, one mortal wound of the depth of six inches, and the width of one inch; and also giving to him, the said Crispus, with the other bullet aforesaid, in and upon the left breast, a little below the left pap of him, the said Crispus, one mortal wound the depth of six inches, and of the width of one inch, of which said mortal woundss, the said Crispus Attucks then and there instantly died; and that the aforesaid Thomas Preston, William Weems, James Haregan, William McCauley, Hugh White, Matthew Killroy, William Warren, John Carroll, Hugh Montgomery, Hammond Green, Thomas Greenwood, Edward Manwaring, and John Munroe, then and there, feloniously, willfully, and of their malice aforethought, were present, aiding, helping, abetting, comforting, assisting, and maintaining the said William Warren, to do and commit the felony and murder aforesaid.
And so the jurors aforesaid, upon their said oath, do say that the Thomas Preston [names repeated] did kill and murder the said Crispus Attucks, against the peace of the said Lord the King, his crownd and dignity.
JOHN SEWALL, Atty. pro Dom. Rege.
WILLIAM TAYLOR, Foreman.