A transgender woman who stabbed her murderer boyfriend to death after meeting him in a men's prison has been jailed for life. 

Aurin Makepeace, 43, from North Wales, fatally stabbed convicted murderer Steven Rothwell, 41, in his flat in August last year. 

Mr Rothwell's body was found in the bathroom of his home in Macclesfield, Cheshire on August 19 last year. He had suffered a stab wound to his chest. 

Makepeace was found guilty of murder last month following a trial at Chester Crown Court, and today was sentenced to jail for life, with a minimum term of 27 years.  

She and Mr Rothwell were former partners, having first met in prison. While the pair's relationship had formally ended around 2023, they remained in regular contact and had been in relationships with other people since. 

On August 15, 2025, Makepeace had travelled from her home in Prestatyn, Wales, to stay with Mr Rothwell at his flat for a few days. 

During the visit, on Monday 18 August 2025, a recent ex-girlfriend of Mr Rothwell's, Katie Taylor, revealed in a phone call that she had recently slept with another man, causing Mr Rothwell to become angry and leave his flat. 

The court heard how Mr Rothwell then argued with Ms Taylor in the street nearby his flat. Makepeace, who was also present, assaulted her by slapping her in the face and was verbally abusive to her. 

The arguing in the street was seen by a passing motorist who reported the incident to the police, and an officer attended a short time later. 

Police spoke with Ms Taylor and with Mr Rothwell at his flat, where Makepeace was still present. At that time, Makepeace was reportedly irate and claimed to be distressed over the incident, frequently expressing anger towards Mr Rothwell's ex-girlfriend. 

A number of hours after the police left, that same evening, Makepeace fatally stabbed Mr Rothwell in the chest following an argument. She stayed at his flat overnight, and left the following morning. 

Makepeace told the court she was 'grappling' with Mr Rothwell while he was holding a knife and while that was happening, the knife inadvertently went into his chest. 

Cheshire Police said: 'During the day on the August 19, 2025, Makepeace made a number of calls to different friends making disclosures that she had stabbed Mr Rothwell, and to one person sent a voice note saying "I've murdered my boyfriend". 

'Later that night, on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, at 10.19pm, Makepeace rang 999, and having given the name of "Katie" to the call operator, stated she had stabbed Mr Rothwell and that he was dead in the address. 

'Makepeace claimed to still be at the address, when she was in fact clearly back in rural North Wales. Makepeace stated to the operator that she needed help and that Mr Rothwell had attacked her, and in self defence she had stabbed him. 

'Police then attended at 1A Cross Street, Macclesfield at 10.43pm and discovered Mr Rothwell deceased in the address. Mr Rothwell had a single stab wound to his chest and a yellow blanket had been placed over his body. 

'It was clear to officers and medical experts that this violent attack had not taken place minutes or even hours before the 999 phone call. 

'No one else was in Mr Rothwell's flat, and an investigation was launched to find the girlfriend called "Katie". She was subsequently arrested alongside another man, but following further enquiries, they were released without charge and extensive CCTV and phone analysis led detectives to Makepeace in rural North Wales. 

'During police interviews Makepeace stated that after the police left, Mr Rothwell had argued on the phone again with the man who had been having the affair with his ex-girlfriend, Ms Taylor, and made more threats.

'[Makepeace said] Mr Rothwell then picked up a knife and was intending to leave the flat to stab the man. 

'Makepeace claimed she tried to stop him leaving the address and the knife accidentally went in him. Makepeace claimed she was too upset and scared to call an ambulance and when she left, Mr Rothwell was still alive.'

Dr Medcalf, a forensic pathologist, testified that Mr Rothwell would have died within 10 minutes of the injury and that, in his opinion, Makepeace's account was very unlikely.

Forensic investigation at the scene identified the knife and showed it had likely been washed and placed amongst other items in the kitchen. Mr Rothwell's blood was found on the knife and Makepeace's DNA was also found on the handle. 

Detective Inspector Simon Mills said: 'From the outset Makepeace's account of how the knife "accidentally" entered Mr Rothwell's chest was not plausible. 

'Evidentially we proved that Makepeace was lying, and we proved that she stayed the night in the address which again completely contradicted her account in interview. 

'The jury saw straight through Makepeace's lies and delivered a unanimous guilty verdict with less than two hours deliberation time. 

'Makepeace is paying the price of her actions and lies now that she has been sentenced to life with a minimum of 27 years to be served in prison. 

'Makepeace put Mr Rothwell's family through the stress and heartache of the trial, I just hope this sentence brings some closure and justice for his friends and family.' 

Steven Rothwell's family said: 'We'd like to thank the judge, jury and counsel for the verdict reached on Aurin Makepeace today, and a huge thank you to the team who have been working behind the scenes. 

'The support and guidance we have received from Cheshire Police has been a huge comfort during this trying time. 

'Mr Rothwell was so resilient, mischievous and had the gentlest of hearts and we're going to miss that strength he brought. He found a lot of comfort in literature and spent many moments behind a book, either sat in a coffee shop or at the library. 

'He will be forever thought about and we're going to miss his witty sense of humour.'