Could a background check have prevented murder?

A murder at a Bethesda, Maryland, hospital has prompted debate over whether a more thorough background check would have prevented the killer from being employed at the facility. According to the Washington Examiner, Keith D. Little is accused of killing his supervisor, Roosevelt Brockington, Jr., at Suburban Hospital. The victim was stabbed at least 70 times in a boiler room after Little allegedly demanded money from him. The Washington Post reports that Brockington was on the phone with a friend when the situation occurred. After the argument, Brockington's friend said he asked the male not to hurt him. This attempt was followed by several screams. Hospital spokeswoman Ronna Bornstein-Levy said that the institution had conducted a background check on Little before hiring him, but it did not turn up any prior arrests or convictions. However, the Examiner reports that court records show he was charged with second-degree murder in 2003, but was found not guilty in a jury trial. He also served six years in prison for assault after a 1984 attack. Convictions that result in acquittal often to do not appear on background checks, Bornstein-Levy told the news source.