People v. Becker

Judgment unanimously affirmed. Memorandum: Defendant was not denied the right to be present at a material stage of trial when defense counsel and the prosecutor reached a Sandoval compromise outside of his presence. Although the better practice would have been to have defendant present "during every colloquy relating to the Sandoval question” (People v Favor, 82 NY2d 254, 268, rearg denied 83 NY2d 801), reversal is not required. Prior to trial, in defendant’s presence, Supreme Court explained the terms of the attorneys’ stipulation. The court asked defendant if he understood the terms of the…