Detectives with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office thwarted a murder-for-hire plot by arresting three men. Detectives assigned to the Violent Crimes Unit learned that 58-year-old Dru Hendrix conspired to pay 50-year-old Mario Guaderrama and 36-year-old Zion Unga to kill the victim, for which Hendrix is facing charges. The men planned the murder while they were all lodged in the Washington County Jail. Hendrix arranged for Unga to receive $30,000 after Unga was released from jail in October. Hendrix also had $30,000 placed on Guaderrama’s jail booking account.
On Thursday, November 6, detectives arrested Unga, who had been released from jail prior to the plot coming to light. Detectives then added charges to Hendrix and Guaderrama, who remained in custody on their prior cases. All three were charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree. Hendrix was also charged with solicitation to commit murder in the first degree and tampering with a witness. Thankfully, the plot was interrupted before the victim was harmed.
The same day the men were arrested, detectives served a search warrant and seized approximately $140,000 from accounts connected to the three men. That was followed by a second search warrant at a Hillsboro home linked to Guaderrama, where detectives seized three handguns, a rifle, a silencer, a switchblade knife, and brass knuckles.
Hendrix was initially arrested in July 2025, and a grand jury indicted him for more than 20 charges. Those details were covered in several prior media releases. He is currently facing 35 charges on multiple cases and also has a pending kidnapping and sexual assault case in Columbia County. Guaderrama was arrested in mid-September after he violated the conditions of release and failed to appear for court on a prior case. Unga was arrested in August for possession of a stolen vehicle and several other charges. He was released in mid-October and then arrested by detectives on this case on November 6.
All three men are being held in jail pending a hearing where the state will request they be denied bail. The investigation is on-going and additional charges are expected. The release of the suspects’ booking photos is for law enforcement purposes and is in accordance with Oregon House Bill 3273 for the identification of additional criminal activity. If you have any information to share about this case, please call the Sheriff’s Office at 503-846-2700 and reference case 50-25-15124.
Source: Washington County Sheriff's Office