Carrie Stetson’s children plan to continue the Railway Cafe as prosecutors pursue charges against her estranged husband.
WINSTED, Conn. — The Railway Cafe was temporarily dark after the death of its owner, but Carrie Stetson’s children soon made clear that the Main Street restaurant would not disappear with her. They planned to reopen the family business and preserve the gathering place their mother had created in the town she loved.
That effort to protect Stetson’s legacy has unfolded alongside a murder prosecution arising from her death inside her Oak Street home on June 8. Police accuse her estranged husband, Leon Stetson, of entering in violation of a protective order, stabbing her and then seriously injuring himself. He is charged with murder, home invasion and violating the order and is held on $3 million bond.
For many residents, Carrie Stetson was first known not through a police report but from behind the counter of the Railway Cafe. She opened the restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic, accepting the risks of starting a business at a time when restaurants faced closures, staffing problems and uncertain customer traffic. The cafe’s account of its founding said the project grew from a longtime ambition and a desire to show her children that persistence could turn a dream into something real.
The business occupied a historic Main Street building and became closely tied to family life. Stetson worked with her three children, and the restaurant promoted itself as a space where people could gather and spend time together. Her obituary said family and community formed the foundation of her life. The cafe was not presented simply as a commercial venture but as a way to create connection in Winsted.
Her involvement went beyond the restaurant. Stetson served on the Winchester Economic Development Commission and participated in Friends of Main Street, organizations concerned with local growth and the vitality of the town center. She was also remembered as an animal lover who fostered pets and supported rescue work. Friends said temporary animals sometimes became permanent members of her household because she could not bring herself to part with them.
Those details shaped the public response after police announced that the 54-year-old had been killed. Residents left tributes, shared memories and contributed to a fundraiser intended to help her children and the cafe’s employees. The campaign quickly drew substantial support. A separate memorial fund was organized to benefit local nonprofit groups, reflecting the civic causes associated with Stetson during her life.
The focus on her work and relationships also pushed back against a common pattern in homicide coverage, in which a victim’s identity can be reduced to the final hours of life. Stetson was a mother, grandmother, business owner, volunteer and friend before she became the subject of an arrest warrant. Her obituary emphasized her affection for her family, animals and hometown, while her children’s plan to continue the cafe placed their mother’s achievements at the center of her public remembrance.
The criminal investigation began after one of Stetson’s adult children and another person went to the Oak Street residence late June 8. They could not get anyone inside to respond. A family member saw what appeared to be blood in a bathroom and noticed that it continued toward a bedroom, according to accounts of the arrest warrant. The visitors called police, who arrived at about 9:41 p.m.
Officers entered and found Carrie Stetson without a pulse or signs of breathing. A knife was near her head. She was pronounced dead in the home. Leon Stetson, 67, was found nearby with a severe wound to his neck and was only partly conscious, police said. He was treated by emergency personnel and flown to Hartford Hospital, where he remained in critical condition during the investigation’s early stages.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Carrie Stetson’s death a homicide caused by sharp-force injuries. Authorities allege Leon Stetson inflicted those injuries and then tried to take his own life. The state has not released the full autopsy report or every piece of evidence recovered from the residence. Investigators also have not published a complete timeline establishing when the encounter began or how long the two had been inside before the family members arrived.
Police said Leon Stetson communicated in writing from the hospital. The arrest warrant attributes a statement to him reading, “You know how I did it.” It also says he wrote that events went “south” and became “ugly.” Prosecutors may characterize the writings as admissions, but the defense will have an opportunity to contest their interpretation and the conditions under which they were obtained. A court has not yet determined whether the statements will be admitted as evidence.
The case did not emerge without earlier warning signs. Carrie Stetson had obtained an active protective order directing her estranged husband to remain away from her. Court filings described a relationship strained by alleged threats, drug use and increasingly unstable conduct. Her application said she feared for herself and her children. A family member later told investigators that relatives also worried Leon Stetson would harm her.
Leon Stetson had been arrested after an April domestic incident on allegations including interfering with an emergency call, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. That earlier matter had not produced a conviction when Carrie Stetson died. The homicide warrant also refers to his alleged crack cocaine addiction, worsening despondency and conflict surrounding the marriage. Authorities have not announced a conclusive motive or said whether toxicology testing showed drug use on the day of the killing.
The protective order is tied directly to two of the current allegations. Prosecutors contend Leon Stetson had no right to be at the Oak Street home and violated a judicial command by approaching his estranged wife. The home-invasion count will require the state to establish the legal elements of unlawful entry or remaining in the residence while committing or intending to commit an offense. The murder count requires proof that he intentionally caused her death.
After medical treatment, Leon Stetson was arrested and arraigned remotely from his hospital bed. A judge ordered the $3 million bond. His attorney, Daniel Thibodeau, later appeared with him in Torrington Superior Court and asked for additional time to determine whether to pursue a probable-cause hearing. Connecticut defendants charged with crimes punishable by life imprisonment have a right to such a proceeding unless it is waived.
A probable-cause hearing is not a trial and does not decide guilt. It asks whether prosecutors have enough evidence to justify continuing with the most serious charge. The state’s burden at that stage is lower than the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard required for conviction. The defense may use the process to examine witnesses, test parts of the state’s account or learn more about evidence collected during the investigation.
The next court date was set for Aug. 11. Leon Stetson remains presumed innocent, and no public report has indicated that he entered a plea to the murder allegation. The prosecution has not announced whether it expects to call the family members who discovered the scene, the officers who entered the home or medical personnel who encountered him at the hospital.
While that legal process continues, Carrie Stetson’s family is pursuing a different form of continuity. Their stated intention to reopen the Railway Cafe keeps her role in Winsted visible beyond the court docket. The restaurant she built with her children now stands as both a working business and a community remembrance, carrying forward the part of her life that friends and relatives say mattered most to her.
Author note: Last updated July 13, 2026.