Thanks everyone. I was trying to make a connection between the two arms being tied together, the stick and body being tied together and the form of the design on the palm. Other photos clearly show a "G" pattern with a straight line on one side with a curve that goes around the palm to what looks like another straight line. Repeating patterns could be significant.
If the body was wiped and redressed was that done with the garotte on the neck or was the garotte repositioned? Clearly there was a lower strangulation than where the garotte ended up.
If it was a slip knot why did they cut it off, why not slip the knot and remove the cord whole? If it was a stop knot and the lower strangulation caused unconsciousness then the final application had more to do with tying the body to the handle, a kind of symbolic identification. Lots of "two's" here; twin doll, two cords, two raised arms, two men watching over, etc. "Wherever we go, whatever we do, we're gonna go through it twogether."