Yeah, I was 23 when made a MS and I wasn't a pioneer or anything. Make the majority of the meetings, be "seen" in FS, put in 10 hours or more a month, comment at every meeting and be "available" to do stuff around the hall and you're in. The bar to be a MS isn't very high, especially for a born-in. Actually for a born-in to not be a MS by their mid-twenties would be a major disappointment, at least around here.
Whether he used to be a MS is relevent to me only in that he story being told is that he was removed a year or so ago. I think they elders may have known he had some issues but quite frankly, MANY folks in the congregation have some sort of issues. The BOE isn't trained to spot potential killers and I seriously doubt they was anything they would have been able to do.
Plus, if there's a civil case to be had, it's going to need to be brought by either Clint or maybe Whitney's parents both of whom are JWs and are likely not going to try to go after the WTS or the local elders.
It will be interesting to see just how bizzare Holt was acting in the months leading up to this awful crime or if maybe the elders were involved in some respect but I'm not sure I see much exposure to the WTS at this point.
I hope justice is done (ie death penalty).