Transfer shock? Would it actually take over a year for this to happen? More likely it was poisoned from the run-off of Moochelle’s garden.
Did you see the rootball on that tree, when it arrived? It was freaking HUGE. It probably could have survived a year with just minimal watering, but since the East Coast didn’t get very much moisture this past winter, the spring shock from new growth might have drained all of its remaining energy. Only God knows for sure. Plant autopsies are problematic, in that there can be several obvious causes of death. Only expensive labwork can narrow it down. I’m betting 0bummer “watered it” in the evenings, after too many drinks.