a garrote is a usually a rope or wire that has a slipknot on each end, put you usually slip a piece of rod into each slipknot and tighten the slipknot down to hold the rods in place. Then you wrap the cord around the neck and twist the cord like you do when you put a wire twist tie on a garbage bag. The handles are used so that you can created tension and hold the tension.
From what I just read....he put a slipknot on each end and place the paint brush handle in one slipknot and then placed the other slipknot over her head and around her neck. Doing it this way would not allow him to use like a typical garrote.
I have to look into it more and read more of the reports. I think I have an idea on how he did it using this method, but it is really odd.
The knot on the handle isn't a slip knot.
I keep thinking that because of the babysitter/tutoring he did, he was Red Cross Certified.
I vaguely remember a picture of a tournequet in my bro's Boy Scout Handbook.