Things look pretty bad for your tree. You didn't say anything about the conditions that it was being kept under. Was it kept indoors? That is the surrest way to kill most bonsai. They are meant to be outdoor trees. Most species will thrive with morning sun and afternoon shade. Is the soil surface covered with gravel which has been glued down? If so you must remove the glued down stuff so that water and air can penetrate the soil. In an attempt to save it now I recommend that you water it once thoroughly and set it outside in a shady place off the ground and do not water it again until the soil has gotten dry on top but mist the foliage once or twice a day. Since your tree appears to be a deciduous tree it may loose all its leaves but that does not mean that it is dead. It may sprout new leaves if kept moist. Under no circumstances are you to bring this tree indoors unless there is a hard frost. In that case I would put the tree in a cool place like your garage each night and bring it out again in the daytime. If new leaves begin to appear then put the tree in a sunny location in the morning but shade in the afternoon. There is a way to check to see if it is really dead. Scratch the bark with your fingernail. If you see a green layer just under the bark that is living cambium and it is capable of sprouting new leaves etc. Good luck.

Can't be sure but, it looks lika a typical 'mallsai' Azaleia in a typical 'mallsai' pot. Also typical mistake, give a well meaning gift to someone who knows nothing about the sport. It was a nice thought anyway. It's dead.
Dump it and get a nice houseplant to fill the empty pot...look at it this way, you still have the pot.

Bob