Coroner points to a bungled investigation that has added millions to the cost of the Leahy case Alan Leahy with his wife Julie-Anne and her bridesmaid and best friend Vicki Arnold on their wedding day. The scene of the alleged 1991 murder of Julie-Anne Leahy and Vicki Arnold. THE State Coroner's office is still processing the arrest warrant for Alan Leahy, the husband of alleged murder victim Julie-Anne Leahy. Leahy has been committed to stand trial over the alleged murders of his wife Julie-Anne and her friend Vicki Arnold. State Coroner Michael Barnes revealed in findings from the third inquest into the women's deaths that millions of dollars had been spent investigating what happened at Cherry Tree Creek, near Cairns, more than 20 years ago because of the initial bungled investigation. Mr Barnes was scathing of police who concluded a murder-suicide within an hour of the bodies being found on August 9, 1991 and the two coronial inquiries which backed that theory. "Those to suffer most acutely from these failures were the families of the dead women," he said. They have my sincere condolences for their loss and my apologies for the way in which the coronial system failed to adequately search for the truth. Mr Leahy is expected to be extradited from Western Australia to Cairns where he will have to apply to the Supreme Court for bail, but the Director of Public Prosecutions will have the final say as to whether he goes to trial. He says he intends to fight the charges. Mr Barnes said the evidence did not back allegations Ms Arnold, 27, killed her 26-year-old best friend before turning the gun on herself and he believed Mr Leahy had a case to answer. But his involvement was never investigated properly, he said, because Queensland Police's district officer for the region wanted to save money. Once the initial assessment of murder-suicide was made, some of the other 'facts' subsequently gathered were contorted to fit that theory," Mr Barnes said.