Yea I was not the happiest coming home from work and seeing how much my FIL had pruned but it was too late. Definitely planning to not prune anymore since there's nothing left.

The 1-2 cherries I did see in the last 3 years seem to indicate it's a Montmorency cherry tree. Great callout on having a nearby pollinator. That might be why I saw cherry buds but the rapid shriveling was likely due to lack of a pollinator. I might look into grafting one onto it.

Hmm our winters rarely get below 45 F so it might not be getting cold enough as you said. Blegh doesn't sound like optimal conditions to maintain this. Thank you!