>This person knew exactly what he was
>doing - he chose his tools carefully.
Yes. I think so.
A circular cord would have slid up and down the neck and the force that was applied would be not only diminished but dissipated erratically.This guy really knew what he was doing.
Unfortunately, its a bit like the Prosecutor's Nightmare when it comes to hate crimes: If a white man attacks a minority taken from a large crowd, the prosecutor can allege that it was a hate crime of some sort; whereas if a minority attacks one white person from a large crowd,,the allegation of 'hate crime' can be countered with 'selected a victim randomly' and chances favored the white person due to there having been fewer minorities.
So in cord selection, we are left with several alternatives:
Was it merely something lying around which turned out to be the best thing to use? Or was it simply picked by chance from among a wide variety of cords being sold? Or was it knowingly and carefully selected for its purpose?
The cord is sold at various Army/Navy Surplus stores and outdoor outfitter type stores. It is not some very rare item at all.
Rock climbing? Camping? Sailing? Equipment Stowage, such as in a Marina? Skydiving? Rescue work? Movie set construction? Displays and Exhibitions?(such as would also use duct tape).