Aurin Makepeace, 43, of Tan y Don in Prestatyn, Wales, stabbed Steven Rothwell with a kitchen knife at his home in Cross Street, Macclesfield in the early hours of 19 August 2025.

Makepeace, who was born male had known Mr Rothwell for about 12 years after meeting him in a men's prison.

CCTV from near Mr Rothwell’s flat showed both of them making several trips to a local shop to buy alcohol during her stay. 

After the murder, Makepeace made her way back to her home in Prestatyn, on the way contacting a couple of friends and admitted that she had “killed Steven” and said she had “murdered my boyfriend”.

She claimed that she had stabbed him because he had been strangling her.

Around 10pm on 19 August, she made a 999 call to North Wales Police. She claimed she was still at the flat in Cross Street and initially said her name was ‘Luchay’ - her middle name – but then said it was ‘Katie’, the name of Mr Rothwell’s current girlfriend.

She said she had stabbed Mr Rothwell because he was violent towards her and had beaten her.  She begged the operator to send help to her. 

The police went to the flat in Macclesfield and found Mr Rothwell, alone, dead on the kitchen floor. Makepeace was arrested in Prestatyn the following afternoon.

A post-mortem examination revealed he had died from a stab wound to his chest. Makepeace was charged with murder.

In interview, Makepeace changed her story again and said that Mr Rothwell had picked up the knife himself on the day of his death as he had discovered his current girlfriend was unfaithful. 

She said Mr Rothwell was going to kill the other man and she had tried to stop him but the knife had accidentally gone into his chest. 

Makepeace denied murder and the case went to trial. The Crown Prosecution Service said the pathologist found Makepeace’s explanation of why the knife had gone into Mr Rothwell’s chest highly unlikely. 

The CPS also highlighted the fact that Makepeace took several hours before she told the police what had happened, lied that she was at the scene when she rang the police and also confessed to friends that she had murdered Mr Rothwell.

Today, 25 March 2026, a jury at Chester Crown Court found Makepeace guilty of murder. The sentencing date will be set later today.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Rachel Worthington, of CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “Aurin Makepeace stabbed Steven Rothwell and then left him to die alone. She made no attempt to get any medical help for him.

“The reasons why she murdered him are known only to her. The jury have seen through Makepeace’s layers of lies. 

“The Crown Prosecution Service would like to thank the many witnesses in this case that have helped us bring Makepeace to justice for this brutal murder. The CPS would also like to take this opportunity to offer our condolences the family and friends of Mr Rothwell at this very difficult time.”