The article makes it sound like he was tied to the trunk of a tree, not hanging from a branch, and also that there was no knot in the rope. I'm definitely having trouble putting those details together into suicide or murder or lynching, the whole thing is very odd.
You're interpreting what you read a bit incorrectly.
The rope was tied above on the tree and an end wrapped around his neck, with no knot. Nothing tied around a trunk. The wrapped end around his neck was holding up the bulk of his weight, but he was close enough to the ground that at least his feet were touching.
The whole thing sounds like he did it to himself, either on purpose as a suicide, or on accident as a sex thing.
he was close enough to the ground that at least his feet were touching
FWIW, he was found in a seated position
Where did you find that he was in a seated position at?
The article makes it sound like he was tied to the trunk of a tree, not hanging from a branch, and also that there was no knot in the rope. I'm definitely having trouble putting those details together into suicide or murder or lynching, the whole thing is very odd.
You're interpreting what you read a bit incorrectly.
The rope was tied above on the tree and an end wrapped around his neck, with no knot. Nothing tied around a trunk. The wrapped end around his neck was holding up the bulk of his weight, but he was close enough to the ground that at least his feet were touching.
The whole thing sounds like he did it to himself, either on purpose as a suicide, or on accident as a sex thing.
FWIW, he was found in a seated position
Where did you find that he was in a seated position at?
https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/black-man-found-dead-rope-around-neck-vance-county-north-carolina-investigation/275-9ac7a83d-8274-4315-9f84-6bfaab671dcc
Interesting. Also a super short bit of article.