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DENVER — A judge in Nevada has ordered the so-called hammer killer to be returned to Colorado to face trial.

In August, Alexander Ewing’s DNA was linked to the killings of four people in the Denver metro area more than three decades ago.

Ewing, 58, will be brought back to Colorado to stand trial in the killings of an Aurora couple and their 7-year-old child in 1984. Investigators say he beat the family to death with a hammer.

A 3-year-old girl survived the attack but with serious injuries.

Days earlier, Ewing is accused of breaking into a home in Lakewood and attacking a woman, crushing her skull.

Ewing has been in prison in Nevada for attempted murder.

In July, Nevada entered his DNA into a national crime database. Investigators in Colorado were able to match it with DNA collected from the crime scenes 34 years ago.

The court gave Ewing one week to appeal the ruling. If that is not successful, he’ll be sent to Colorado.