Judge Nap calls evidence against Derek Chauvin 'more than adequate' to convict of second-degree murder

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All four officers involved in death of George Floyd have been charged

Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano weighs in.

Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano told "Your World with Neil Cavuto" Wednesday that the evidence against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin appears "more than adequate" to convict him of second-degree murder in the May 25 death of George Floyd.

"The pressing of the knee for eight minutes and 43 seconds obviously shows intent," Napolitano said, suggesting that Chauvin could have been charged with first-degree murder. "Yes, second-degree murder is more difficult to convict for than manslaughter. But the longer answer is there's more than enough evidence here from which a jury can find that."

FORMER MINNEAPOLIS OFFICER FACES UPGRADED CHARGE IN GEORGE FLOYD DEATH; 3 OTHERS FACE CHARGES

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said earlier Wednesday said charges against Chauvin, the white Minneapolis officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck, had been upgraded to second-degree murder without intent, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Three other former officers -- Thomas Lane, J.A. Kueng, and Tou Thao -- have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder while committing a felony and aiding and abetting second-degree murder manslaughter with culpable negligence.

"I don't think the case is going to be tried," Napolitano told Cavuto. "I don't know how the defendants could possibly get a fair trial. You're not going to find 12 people in the state of Minnesota that don't have an opinion on this.

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"And that's another reason to charge first-degree murder, because that will induce pretty much, I think, a guilty plea to second-degree murder, which has a maximum of 40 years," he added. "That's plenty of time in jail for this."

Napolitano also suggested that body camera footage of the incident, if it exists, could entice the officers to take plea deals.

"It's probably going to be a vision of this far more graphic and more horrific than the video that was taken by the bystander of the actual knee on the neck," he said. "You're going to see four different views of this. You're going to hear every word that was articulated.

"It would be so graphic that, again, it would likely induce a guilty plea rather than confront the wrath of a jury after it watched all those."

Fox News' Danielle Wallace and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.