The U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and the FBI will intervene in investigating the murder of Trayvon Martin. The Justice Department released a statement Monday night.

The department will conduct a thorough and independent review of all of the evidence and take appropriate action at the conclusion of the investigation. The department also is providing assistance to and cooperating with the state officials in their investigation into the incident. With all federal civil rights crimes, the government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a person acted intentionally and with the specific intent to do something which the law forbids — the highest level of intent in criminal law.

George Zimmerman still has not been charged in Martin's death, because local law enforcement believed that he was acting in self-defense. The police have been accused of aiding Zimmerman and otherwise botching their response to the shooting, leading to public pressure for more a more thorough investigation.

[Image via AP]