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Sybrina Fulton, left, the mother of Trayvon Martin, and George Zimmerman who was acquitted on second degree murder charges in Martin's Feb. 26, 2012 killing. Getty Images

MIAMI -- The mother of Trayvon Martin says she's disappointed that federal prosecutors decided not to charge a neighborhood watch volunteer with a hate crime for killing her son three years ago.

Speaking with The Associated Press on Wednesday before the third anniversary of her 17-year-old son's death, Sybrina Fulton says she still believes George Zimmerman got away with murder.

"He took a life, carelessly and recklessly, and he shouldn't deserve to have his entire life walking around on the street free. I just believe that he should be held accountable for what he's done," Fulton said.

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The U.S. Justice Department announced it will not prosecute George Zimmerman on civil rights charges in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. The...

Zimmerman claimed he shot the unarmed teenager in self-defense after confronting Martin while volunteering for his neighborhood watch group. A jury acquitted him of second-degree murder the next year.

The case sparked a national conversation about race, bias and crime in part because Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic, was not immediately arrested after shooting Martin, who is black.

The U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday that it found insufficient evidence to establish that Zimmerman willfully deprived Martin of his civil rights or killed him because of his race.

"The Justice Department is the top of the line here," Fulton said. "But what they found just wasn't enough."

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Trayvon Martin's mother: George Zimmerman got away with murder

Published: Friday, 2/27/2015

BY TAYLOR DUNGJEN BLADE STAFF WRITER

Before noon Thursday, University of Toledo law students Maysaa Ouza and Lauren Smith were convinced that George Zimmerman should have been found guilty in the 2012 murder of Trayvon Martin. An hour later, the two were less sure.

Its interesting to hear all this, Ms. Ouza said after defense attorney Donald Wests recount of the 2013 trial and how it was portrayed by the mass media. Instead of feeling certain of his guilt, Ms. Ouza and Ms. Smith were undecided.

Mr. West gave an hourlong presentation to a nearly full house at the universitys Richard and Jade McQuade Law Auditorium, showing photos of the trial, playing calls made to Sanford, Fla., police, and reviewing media coverage. The lecture was sponsored by the College of Law and the Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity.

The story had been in the national spotlight for about six weeks when Mr. West joined Mr. Zimmermans defense team and, at the time, the case didnt seem very special to me, he said, but the lack of an immediate arrest of Mr. Zimmerman for the shooting death of the 17-year-old Martin youth triggered absolute fury in the media.

The Martin youth and Mr. Zimmerman met, in what turned out to be a fatal encounter, on Feb. 26, 2012, in the Sanford neighborhood where Mr. Zimmerman lived and the Martin youth was visiting his father.

Mr. West said some media coverage of the case wasnt entirely accurate. He said Mr. Zimmerman was not, as reported, acting as a neighborhood watch commander the night the Martin youth was killed, but rather was on his way to Target. He also took issue with the photos used by the media, a years-old picture of Mr. Zimmerman, showing him bigger than he was at the time of the shooting, and a 12-year-old Trayvon Martin, rather than an age-appropriate photo.

After the lecture, not everyone was convinced. Some questioned how the case could not have been seen as racially motivated when Mr. Zimmerman described the Martin youth to a police dispatcher, as seeming suspicious and as if there was something wrong with him.

I dont think a guy who is planning a murder calls police first and then waits four to five minutes to do it, Mr. West said.

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Zimmerman's attorney visits UT

If George Zimmerman wouldn't have gotten out of his car to follow Trayvon Benjamin Martin, he would probably be wearing a hooded sweatshirt and be 20 years old Thursday. Zimmerman had a gun. Trayvon wore "hoodies" even when it was 100 degrees in Miami Gardens.

If Martin wouldn't have gotten suspended for 10 days for having a pipe to smoke marijuana, he would have probably graduated from Dr. Michael M. Krop High School and George T. Baker Aviation School. He would probably be a college student at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, where friends said he wanted to go.

"I honestly feel that the murderer of our son should've been convicted," Trayvon's father said Wednesday, after meeting with Department of Justice officials who said Tuesday that they wouldn't file civil rights charges against Zimmerman, because of insufficient evidence to establish that he willfully deprived Trayvon of his civil rights or killed him, because of his race. For years, the NAACP has pushed for action.

"He took a life, carelessly and recklessly, and he shouldn't deserve to have his entire life walking around on the street free," Fulton said. "I just believe that he should be held accountable for what he's done."

It's not easy to let go of perceived injustice. Zimmerman didn't deny killing him, yet a Seminole County jury -- of five white women, a Latina and no African-Americans -- found the aspiring law enforcer not guilty. He was acquitted July 13, 2013.

They didn't convict himof second-degree murder, because they didn't believe the killing was "done from ill will, hatred, spite or evil intent." They also didn't find him guilty of manslaughter for "intentionally" committing acts that caused the boy's death.

MULTIMEDIA FLASHBACK: Listen to 911 calls, screams, gunshot

Zimmerman "got away with murder, but can't get away from God," said the Latina juror identified as Maddy, a mother of eight. She added that she was "hurting" and having trouble eating and sleeping. She said she was confused and was told that "if you have no proof that he killed him intentionally, you can't say he's guilty."

African-American parents nationwide -- including President Barack Obama -- felt empathy when they saw Fulton cry. On Thursday morning, TIME revived a 2012 column"Advice for Young Black Boys, 3 Years After Trayvon Martins Death." It warned boys that "black maleness is a potentially fatal condition" and the awareness that it increases the likelihood of being perceived as a villain or a criminal "could save your life."

Zimmerman said he assumed that the boy -- who was unarmed, while walking home, as he talked on his cell phone, after buying Skittles and an Arizona brand watermelon flavored drink -- was up to no good at 7:09 p.m., Feb. 26, 2012. There was a march and a rally, after police didn't arrest the man who got in the way of him making it back home.

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In Miami Gardens, 'Lovin' Trayvon Martin, hatin' George Zimmerman' hits heart of racist reality

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 20: Protesters take part in a 'Justice for Trayvon' vigil outside Los Angeles Federal Courthouse July 20, 2013 in Los Angeles, United States. The vigil, along with others held nationwide, was organized by the National Action Network and called for federal charges to be filed against George Zimmerman in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 20: Protesters take part in a 'Justice for Trayvon' vigil outside Los Angeles Federal Courthouse July 20, 2013 in Los Angeles, United States. The vigil, along with others held nationwide, was organized by the National Action Network and called for federal charges to be filed against George Zimmerman in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 20: Protesters take part in a 'Justice for Trayvon' vigil outside Los Angeles Federal Courthouse July 20, 2013 in Los Angeles, United States. The vigil, along with others held nationwide, was organized by the National Action Network and called for federal charges to be filed against George Zimmerman in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 20: Protesters take part in a 'Justice for Trayvon' vigil outside Los Angeles Federal Courthouse July 20, 2013 in Los Angeles, United States. The vigil, along with others held nationwide, was organized by the National Action Network and called for federal charges to be filed against George Zimmerman in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 20: A woman holding a can of ice tea and bag of Skittles candy and hundreds of protesters take part in a 'Justice for Trayvon' vigil outside Los Angeles Federal Courthouse July 20, 2013 in Los Angeles, United States. The vigil, along with others held nationwide, was organized by the National Action Network and called for federal charges to be filed against George Zimmerman in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 20: Protesters take part in a 'Justice for Trayvon' vigil outside Los Angeles Federal Courthouse July 20, 2013 in Los Angeles, United States. The vigil, along with others held nationwide, was organized by the National Action Network and called for federal charges to be filed against George Zimmerman in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 20: Mimi Kennedy holding a sign along with hundreds of protesters take part in a 'Justice for Trayvon' vigil outside Los Angeles Federal Courthouse July 20, 2013 in Los Angeles, United States. The vigil, along with others held nationwide, was organized by the National Action Network and called for federal charges to be filed against George Zimmerman in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 20: Protesters take part in a 'Justice for Trayvon' vigil outside the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse July 20, 2013 in Washington, DC. The vigil, along with others held nationwide, was organized by the National Action Network and called for federal charges to be filed against George Zimmerman in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 20: Protesters take part in a 'Justice for Trayvon' vigil outside the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse July 20, 2013 in Washington, DC. The vigil, along with others held nationwide, was organized by the National Action Network and called for federal charges to be filed against George Zimmerman in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 20: A chalk outline, a bag of Skittles, and a can of iced tea are seen during a 'Justice for Trayvon' vigil outside the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse July 20, 2013 in Washington, DC. The vigil, along with others held nationwide, was organized by the National Action Network and called for federal charges to be filed against George Zimmerman in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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DOJ Not Filing Charges Against George Zimmerman For 2012 ...

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While the public waits for a Justice Department announcement over two separate investigations spurred by the summer shooting of an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, the department announced today it is closing its investigation into the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Justice Department officials met with Martin's family today, and were told that they will not be filing charges against George Zimmerman, who shot the 17-year-old after a confrontation in 2012. Thursday marks three years to the day since Martin was killed.

Federal prosecutors concluded there is not sufficient evidence to prove Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman in Sanford, Fla., intentionally violated Martin's civil rights.

"Although the department has determined that this matter cannot be prosecuted federally, it is important to remember that this incident resulted in the tragic loss of a teenager's life," Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division said. "Our decision not to pursue federal charges does not condone the shooting that resulted in the death of Trayvon Martin and is based solely on the high legal standard applicable to these cases." The case sparked intense discussions over race in America because Martin was walking to his home with only Skittles and an iced tea in his hands.

Florida prosecutors tried to convict Zimmerman of state-level murder and manslaughter charges, but in July 2013 a jury acquitted him, saying prosecutors didn't have enough evidence to prove their case.

One juror - the only minority on the all-female jury - later told ABC News that "as the law was read to me, if you have no proof that he killed him intentionally, you can't say he's guilty."

"You can't put the man in jail even though in our hearts we felt he was guilty," she said. "But we had to grab our hearts and put it aside and look at the evidence."

In Sanford, race-related tensions had been simmering for nearly a century, but Martin's death "was the proverbial 'straw that broke the camel's back,'" bringing "those issues to the surface," the new Sanford police chief, Cecil Smith, recently told federal officials.

After Martin was killed, Holder sat down his own teenage son to explain that -- as unfair as it may be -- young black men must often interact with police in a different way than others, he told a convention in April 2014. It was "a conversation I hoped I'd never have to have," Holder added.

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Trayvon Martin: DOJ Announces No Charges Against George ...