He has specific incident but not general denial. “He swears there was no rape or intercourse,” but that does not cover touching.
Why did she chat for a time, then accuse?
Could be a number of things, from nothing, to touching, and we will never know.
Does he need a lawyer? Absolutely. What course the lawyer and he decide to take I have no idea, but he does need to see a lawyer to get those answers. Do not depend on a layman's read on SOL matters. There might be other charges and some events can “toll” or suspend the running of the SOL.
He says he received the friend request FROM HER, and assumed it was because of the upcoming reunion. He also says there were NO messages from her to him before that night.
I’m also beginning to think this is an extortion attempt.