Washington County Sheriff’s Office detectives foiled a plot to murder for hire, leading to the arrest of three men and the confiscation of an arsenal of weapons, along with cash, as reported by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation by the Violent Crimes Unit revealed that 58-year-old Dru Hendrix attempted to contract 50-year-old Mario Guaderrama and 36-year-old Zion Unga to kill an unnamed victim, with Hendrix facing related charges.
The murder was initially plotted within the confines of the Washington County Jail, where the three men were all previously incarcerated; during which Hendrix is said to have organized the payment for the intended crime: arranging $30,000 to be paid to Unga following his release in October, and an equal sum to be added to Guaderrama’s jail account, according to officials. Unga, having been released earlier, was arrested on Thursday, November 6, while Hendrix and Guaderrama faced additional charges while still in custody on previous cases.
All three suspects have been slapped with conspiracy to murder in the first degree, and Hendrix received additional charges for solicitation to murder in the first degree and tampering with a witness, while the intended victim, fortunately, remained unharmed; in the course of the same day arrests, detectives executed a search warrant and seized about $140,000 associated with the suspects' accounts. A subsequent search of Guaderrama's Hillsboro residence yielded three handguns, a rifle, a silencer, a switchblade, and brass knuckles.
Previously, Hendrix was apprehended in July 2025 and has been indicted by a grand jury on over 20 charges; he is currently juggling 35 charges across multiple cases beside a separate kidnapping and sexual assault case in Columbia County, while Guaderrama’s arrest in mid-September followed a failed court appearance on a different matter and Unga who was nabbed in August over a stolen vehicle amongst other charges, had been freed in mid-October only to be detained once more by detectives on the recent allegations on November 6.
As the investigation persists, the court is presently considering a motion to deny bail for the trio in light of the new charges, while additional accusations may be forthcoming. The publication of the suspects’ booking photos serves law enforcement needs and aligns with the stipulations of Oregon House Bill 3273, which aims to locate additional criminal behavior. The Washington County Sheriff's Office encourages anyone with knowledge relevant to the case to contact them at 503-846-2700, referencing case number 50-25-15124.
